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Cibrarp  of  Che  'theological  Seminary 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Mrs.  Thomas  Cook 

3X374  8 
.W578 

M  v.  i 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG: 

HIS  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS. 


WILLIAM  WHITE. 


1  God  of  old  hath  for  his  people  wrought. 
*  Things  as  incredible :  What  hinders  now  ?' 

Samson  Agonistes, 


IN    TWO  VOLUMES. 

VOL.  t 


LONDON : 
SIMPKIN,   MARSHALL,  &  CO., 

STATIONERS'  HALL  COURT. 


1867. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Jesper  Svedberg,  Bishop  of  Skara. — (Fivmlitfim.) 

Copied  from  a  rare  engraving  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Garth  Wilkinson.  The  translation 
of  the  stanza  in  Swedish  runs  thus  literally— '  Sere  standi  Ilerr  Sted^rg's  image  in 
'  copper-plate,  whose  learning,  and  wisdom  and  zeal  for  Christ's  flock,  are  widely  and 

•  most  favourably  knotrri  in  the  kingdom  of  Sweden,  and  will  be  in  cedar-wood  with 
'  eternal  memory  praised' — and  tliat  in  German  thus — 1  Here  stands  the  image  (no  mrtal 
'  can  shew  the  reality/  of  him  who  contains  nothing  but  the  fear  of  God  and  wisdom. 

•  Should  many  walk  in  his  footsteps,  0  how  will  then  through  thee  thy  Zion  Sweden  rise  !' 


Emanuel  Swedexborg    Page  83. 

Copied  from  the  frontispiece  of  the  *  Opera  Philosophiea  et  Mineralia.''  He  was  then 
in  his  4'5th  year  :  in  his  80th,  Cuno  professed  to  discern  a  perfect  likeness  in  this  engraving : 
see  Vol.  II.  p.  423. 


ERR  A  T  A. 


For  sazan  read  savant,  page  63,  line  10  from  bottom. 

Insert  not  after  had,        „    80     ,,  14  „ 

For  no  read  do,  „  303     „  9 

Insert  not  after  who,        „  498     „  5  ,, 


PEE  FACE. 


Swedenboeg's  name  has  grown  familiar  in  English 
literature,  but  with  few  definite  ideas  attached  to 
it.  The  causes  are  not  far  to  seek.  Swedenborg's 
works  are  so  voluminous  as  to  daunt  many  readers, 
nor  are  there  any  one  or  two  of  his  volumes  calcu- 
lated to  afford  a  complete  view  of  his  philosophy 
and  theology.  The  little  sect  moreover,  which  as- 
sumes his  authority  to  be  divine,  has  never  com- 
manded the  public  ear,  nor  has  any  of  its  members 
written  books  which  have  travelled  far  beyond  the 
sectarian  borders. 

To  the  majority,  Swedenborg  is  no  more  than 
an  eminent  Ghost  Seer.  Professor  Masson,  in  a 
recent  popular  work,  states  this  broadly,  saying, 
4  From  the  most  moderate  Animal  Magnetism  to 
4  the  most  involved  dreams  of  the  Swedenborgians 
4  and  Spirit  Rappers,  is  simply  the  idea,  that  our 
4  familiar  world  or  cosmos,  may  not  be  the  total 
4  sphere  of  the  phenomenal'0 — that  is  to  say,  the 

*  '  Recent  British  Philosophy  {Lectures  delivered  at  the  Boyal  Institution, 
•     1865),'  p.  285. 


vi 


PREFACE. 


a  territory  so  extensive  has  cost  far  more  pains 
than  the  same  amount  of  original  composition.  In 
many  cases  the  selected  passages  have  suffered 
severe  abridgement.  Swedenborg's  thoughts  are 
constantly  delivered  in  bulky  solution,  and  if  in 
getting  rid  of  the  superfluous  water  I  have  ever 
strained  away  some  of  the  essential  substance,  I 
have  in  all  cases  supplied  the  reference  for  my 
extract  whereby  a  suspicious  reader  may  test  my 
accuracy.  The  complaint  however  which  I  really 
dread  is,  that  whilst  I  was  straining  I  did  not  strain 
harder. 

As  a  critic  of  Swedenborg  my  difficulties  have 
not  been  slight.  With  a  few  exceptions,  he  has 
undergone  no  criticism.  He  has  been  cursed  with- 
out reserve,  and  he  has  been  blessed  without  reserve, 
but  he  has  been  rarely  appreciated.  I  have  there- 
fore had  to  form  many  judgements,  which  I  feel 
sure  would  be  modified  had  I  enjoyed  the  discussion 
of  liberal  and  enlightened  minds. 

Much  new  matter  relating  to  Swedenborg  will 
be  found  in  these  volumes,  but  I  need  only  specially 
refer  to  the  important  discovery  of  his  Book  of 
Dreams  written  in  1741,  and  printed  by  Mr.  Q,  EL 
Klemming  of  Stockholm  in  1850.  The  Book  of 
Dieamfl  >heds  a  flood  of  light  on  an  obscure  and 


PREFACE. 


vii 


pivotal  point  in  his  biography.  It  will  be  observed, 
that  it  has  enabled  me  to  vindicate  the  memory  of 
the  Rev.  A.  Mathesius,  who  for  many  years  has  been 
hooted  through  Swedenborgian  literature  as  a  slan- 
derer, and  subsequently  a  madman. 

There  are  no  doubt  many  facts  yet  to  be  brought 
to  light  relative  to  Swedenborg's  personal  life  in 
Sweden  and  England ;  and  if  any  one  in  the  course 
of  his  reading  encounters  aught  unrecorded  in  the 
following  pages,  I  should  gladly  and  gratefully 
hear  from  him. 

Lastly,  I  owe  thanks  for  assistance  to  many 
friends  :  one  has  to  write  a  book  to  learn  how 
courteous  the  world  can  be  :  let  me  name  specially, 
Dr.  Kahl,  Dean  of  Lund ;  Baron  C.  Dirckinck 
Holmfeld,  of  Copenhagen;  the  late  Dr.  Tafel,  of 
Tubingen ;  and  Dr.  Garth  Wilkinson  and  William 
Fryer,  Esq.,  of  London. 

Thurlow  Road,  Hamfstead, 
December,  186G. 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


PART  L 

Education,  Business,  and  Philosophy. 


CHAPTER  L 
Jesper  Svedberg. 

Page. 

Soul  from  Father,  Body  from  Mother — Isaksson,  father  of  Svedberg 
— Name  changed  to  Svedberg — Isaksson  kept  by  his  Family — 
Svedberg  in  a  Mill-dam — Ill-Peter's  School — To  Upsala  and  then 
to  Lund — A  Dandy  at  Lund — Intercourse  with  Spirits — Studies 
directed  by  an  Angel — Tutor  to  Brunner — Publishes  a  Sermon — 
Chaplain  to  Life  Guards — Marries  at  Thirty — Visits  England, 
France,  and  Germany — Angelic  Language — Returns  to  Stockholm 
and  finds  a  Son — Catechises  his  Regiment — Assists  the  Court 
Chaplain  and  pleases  the  King       ..  ...  ..          ...  1 

CHAPTER  II. 
Jesper  Svedberg  at  Home  and  in  the  World. 


Birth  of  his  son  Emanuel — Translated  to  Vingaker — Queer  People 
there  —  Appointed  Professor  of  Theology  at  Upsala  —  Then 
Rector  of  Upsala — Presented  to  the  living  of  Dannmark — Made 
Dean  of  Upsala — Revision  of  the  Swedish  Bible — Prepares  a 
new  Psalter,  which  causes  great  uproar,  and  is  suppressed — 
Home  and  Habits  at  Upsala — Names  of  his  Children — Emanuel's 
Thoughts  in  Childhood — His  Religious  Precocity — His  Peculiar 
Respiration — Death  of  Svedberg's  Wife  and  Eldest  Son — Death 
of  Charles  XI. — His  Melancholy  Experience  of  Mankind       ...  9 


X 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Svedberg's  Second  Marriage  ;  Last  Days  at  Upsala  ; 
and  Bishopric. 

An  Odd  Courtship — A  House-Warming — Young  Charles  XII. 
conspired  against,  vows  that  the  whistle  of  bullets  shall  be  his 
music — Svedberg  preaches  before  him — Persuades  Charles  not  to 
double  the  Clerical  Income-Tax — Svedberg\s  House  and  Upsala 
Cathedral  burnt  down — His  Outcry — Created  Bishop  of  Skara — 
Visits  his  Diocese,  sets  up  a  Printing-Press,  sends  Missionaries 
to  the  American  Indians — Remonstrates  with  the  King  on  his 
Exactions — Casts  out  Devils  from  a  Maid-Servant — Brings  a 
Female  Convict  to  Repentance — Miraculously  cures  his  Servant 
— His  strict  Economy  of  Time — Conscientious  Patronage — How 
he  got  a  Living  for  his  Son-in-law — Exacts  no  Tithes — His 
Reforming  Temper — Concern  for  Purity  of  Swedish  Language — 
Publishes  a  Grammar  and  Dictionary — Improves  and  Opens 
Schools  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  19 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Emanuel  Abroad  and  the  Bishop  at  Home. 


Emanuel  educated  at  Upsala  —  His  Latin  Dissertation  —  Goes 
abroad — Violates  the  English  Quarantine — Spends  a  year  in 
London  and  Oxford — What  was  passing  in  London — Visits 
Flamsteed — Sails  for  Holland — Lives  a  year  in  Paris — Then  to 
Griefsvalde  —  Bishop  Svedberg's  Troubles  —  Skara  Burnt  — 
Brunsbo  burnt  with  all  his  chattels  and  papers — His  letter  to 
Princess  Ulrika  Eleonora — Appeals  to  Charles  XII.  for  help — 
His  Palace  rebuilt — The  Devil  burnt  Brunsbo — A.-ks  Charles  XII. 
to  give  Emanuel  employment — Asks  again — Emanuel's  account 
of  himself,  his  inventions  and  -writings — Prints  a  book  at  Griefs- 
v;ilde — Charles  XII.  defeated  and  in  exile — Suddenly  appears  at 
Stralsund — Emanuel  hastens  h«.me — His  father  again  writes  to 
the  King  on  his  behalf — And  yet  again — PuhlishM  a  volume  of 
Latin  verse  at  Skara — A  Specimen — His  scientific  and  com- 
morci.il  m  hemes — Stralsund  captured  and  Charles  XII.  e-capes 
to  Sweden         ...  ...  ...  ...         ?&«|       ...  30 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


xi 


CHAPTER  V. 
Charles  XII.  and  Swedenborg. 

Page. 

Emanuel  starts  and  stops  1  Dccdalus  Hyperboreus* — Bishop  Svedberg 
again  advances  the  necessities  of  his  family  to  the  King — 
Charles  XII.  gives  Emanuel  the  post  of  Assessor  in  the  College 
of  Mines,  and  becomes  intimate  with  him — Account  of  their 
Discussions — Emanuel  assists  Polhem  in  engineering — Charles 
advises  Polhem  to  give  his  daughter  in  marriage  to  Emanuel — 
Polhem  willing,  but  his  daughter  unwilling — Match  broken  off — 
Bishop  Svedberg  and  his  son  Emanuel  join  in  a  Copper-mine — 
Bishop  Svedberg  and  Charles  XII.  together — Amusing  discus- 
sions— Charles  lays  siege  to  Frederickshall  and  has  Emanuel  to 
help  him — Hardships  of  the  siege — Charles  killed     ...  ...  47 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Business  and  Speculations  of  Swedenborg. 


The  Svedberg  Family  ennobled  and  the  name  changed  to  Sweden- 
borg— The  Bishop  favours  despotism — Is  attacked,  and  his 
defence— His  roughness  with  royalty — Visited  by  the  King  and 
Queen — Death  of  Bishop  Svedberg's  2nd  Wife — Takes  a  3rd — 
Swedenborg's  scientific  pamphlets — Speculations  about  the  Sun — 
Discontent  with  himself  and  his  prospects — Goes  for  15  months 
on  a  continental  tour — Geological  studies — Issues  a  bundle  of 
scientific  pamphlets  at  Amsterdam—  Theory  of  Chemistry — Iron 
and  Fire — Longitude  discovered  by  Lunar  Observations — New 
Rules  for  maintaining  Heat  in  Rooms — Miscellaneous  Scientific 
Observations  —  Dedication  to  Duke  of  Brunswick  —  Careless 
Printers — Returns  to  Sweden         ...  ...  ...  ...  58 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Twelve  Years  of  Business  and  Silence— 1722-34. 


Pamphlet  on  Swedish  Currency — Swedenborg  at  once  Speculative 
and  Practical — Received  full  Pay  as  Assessor  in  1722 — Offered 
and  declined  the  Professorship  of  Mathematics  at  Upsala,  1724 — 


xii  CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 

Page. 

Fatality  of  Mathematician?  to  abide  in  Theory— Pietists  active 
in  Sweden — Bishop  Svedberg  gently  disposed  to  them — Charged 
in  Diet  with  complicity  in  their  Doings — Goes  to  a  Meeting  of 
Pietists  and  reports  to  the  Diet — Demurs  to  their  Contempt  for 
Unconverted  Priests — Has  had  no  commerce  with  Pietists,  but  a 
very  great  deal  with  Impietists  —  Diet  extinguishes  Pietism — 
Return  from  Sea  of  Jesper  Swedenborg— His  Father's  anxiety 
about  him — His  2nd  Wife1!  will  favours  Emanuel,  yet  Jesper 
will  have  6.000  dalers — Bishop  thanks  God  that  Jesper  is  not 
married,  and  hopes  he  will  get  a  good  Wife  and  something  with 
her — Jesper  marries  in  1728,  and  propagates  the  Swedenborg 
family — Emanuel  urged  to  enter  into  Matrimony  —  Keeps  a 
Mistress — Elected  a  Member  of  the  Stockholm  Academy  of 
Sciences,  1729 — Bishop  Svedberg' s  Palace  again  destroyed  by 
fire,  1730 — His  vigorous  Health  begins  to  decline      ...  ...  70 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Travelling  and  Printing  in  Germany. 

Swedenborg  sets  out  for  Leipsic,  1733 — Visits  Berlin,  with  which 
he  is  charmed — Sees  the  Tall  Soldiers — Attends  Catholic  Service 
at  Dresden — Meets  with  Wolf's  '  Cosmology1 — Wolf's  place  in 
Philosophy — Visits  Prague — Tour  among  the  Mines  of  Bohemia 
— Prints  '  Opera  Philosophica  et  MineralkC  at  Leipsic,  and  pub- 
lishes there,  1734 — Writes  and  prints  a  treatise  on  the  Infinite 
at  same  time — Homewards  through  Hesse-Cassel  where  he  meets 
Wolf — Prince  Frederick's  (afterwards  the  Great)  opinion  of 
Wolf — Voltaire  on  Wolf — Swedenborg  finds  himself  in  full 
accord  with  Wolf — Visits  Duke  Rudolph  of  Brunswick,  who 
bears  the  entire  cost  of  the  publication  of  his  works — Returns 
to  Stockholm,  July,  1734  ...  ...  ...  ...  76 

CHAPTEB  IX. 
Philosophical  and  Mineralogical  Works. 

Three  Folios — Two  occupied  with  Iron  and  Copper  Manufacture — 
Publication  of  Trade  Secrets  disapproved— His  Ju>titication — 
First  Folio  entitled  lPrinripia'  an  Explanation  of  the  Elementary 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME.  Xlii 

World  —  How  Atoms  and  Earths  were  created  —  Experience, 
Reason  and  Geometry  the  means  to  Philosophy — Experience  the 
way  to  Wisdom — But  Experience  without  Reason  powerless — 
Reason  builds  with  the  Knowledges  supplied  by  Experience — 
Reason  the  mark  of  the  Philosopher — Reason  invokes  all  the 
Sciences,  but  chiefly  Geometry — Mineral,  Vegetable,  Animal, 
and  Elemental  Kingdoms  all  subject  to  Geometry — Elemental 
Kingdom  composed  of  fluid  substances,  as  Air  and  Ether — All 
things  in  these  Kingdoms  are  Mechanical — The  World  a  System 
of  Mechanism — Hence  by  Geometry  the  whole  World  may  be 
explained — Nature's  Method  everywhere  the  same — Size  makes 
no  Difference — The  Infinite  not  subject  to  Geometry,  nor  pro- 
bably the  Soul,  nor  probably  an  infinity  of  Things  with  which  we 
are  unacquainted — The  Philosopher  seeks  the  Causes  of  Things, 
and  when  he  has  found  the  Central  Law  of  Nature  he  will  be  as 
a  Spider  in  her  Web,  aware  of  all  which  passes  in  the  Cir- 
cumferences— Reverence  to  God  a  mark  of  the  true  Philosopher 
— Nature  only  a  word  for  the  complex  of  Forces  from  the 
Infinite — Swedenborg  assumes  that  the  External  World  com- 
menced in  a  Point  produced  immediately  from  the  Infinite — The 
Point  mediates  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite — It  is  pure 
and  total  Motion  —  It  is  Nothing  geometrically  considered  — 
Motion,  as  derived  from  the  Point,  ever  flows  from  a  Centre  to  a 
Circumference,  and  around  the  Circumference  back  to  the  Centre, 
and  is  thus  an  Everlasting  Spiral — The  First  Finite  originates 
from  a  Congress  of  such  Points,  which  Finite  is  the  most  perfect 
of  Figures,  the  first  limitation  of  Substance,  and  the  first 
occupant  of  Space — Second  Finites  produced  from  the  coacer- 
vation  of  First  Finites — Second  Finites  form  the  Solar  Vortex 
and  the  First  Element — Second  Finites  condense  into  Third 
Finites,  forming  Magnetism  or  the  Second  Element — Fourth 
Finites  formed  in  like  manner  from  Third  Finites — The  Third 
Element  or  Ether  consists  of  Fourth  Finites — By  condensation 
and  coacervation  Fourth  Finites  become  Fifth  Finites,  which 
constitute  Air  or  the  Fourth  Element,  and  by  still  greater 
pressure  Water — A  Globule  of  Water  contains  all  the  Elements 
from  the  Point  downwards— Prior  and  Posterior  Finites  stand  to 
each  other  as  Active  and  Passive— Swedenborg  confirms  his 
Theory  by  Musschenbroek's  Researches  in  Magnetism — He  finds 
Law  where  Musschenbroek  sees  none — Applies  his  Theory  to 
Sun  and  Planets,  for  what  is  true  of  a  single  Particle  is  true  of 


xiv 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


Page. 

any  congeries  of  Particles — The  Sun  consists  of  Points  secreting 
Elements  which  condense  into  Earths — Mineral  Kingdom  con- 
densed from  Water — Crusts  formed  round  Globules  of  Water,  and 
set  in  their  interstices,  which  Crust  was  Salt,  and  by  various 
processes  assumed  many  Mineral  Forms — A  Ground  thus  laid 
for  Vegetables,  then  for  Animals,  and  lastly  for  Man — Tis  a 
Mathematician's  Dream — Assumes  his  Point  and  draws  whatever 
he  requires  out  of  it — Swedenborg  lived  to  disown  his  Theory — 
Some  instances  of  self-criticism — Seems  to  have  suggested  the 
Nebular  Hypothesis  to  Buffon — Something  to  be  said  for  the 
Point  of  Force  —  Faraday's  opinion  —  Similarity  throughout 
Nature  a  fruitful  Doctrine  —  Swedenborg's  Vortices  not  the 
Vortices  exploded  by  Newton — By  a  Magnet  Swedenborg  would 
explain  the  Universe        ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  83 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Infinite  and  the  Final  Cause  of  Creation,  and 
the  mechanism  of  the  intercourse  between  the 
Soul  and  the  Body. 


Dedication  of  treatise  to  Bishop  Benzelius — The  Infinite  the 
difficulty  of  Philosophy — Man  being  Finite  cannot  know  the 
Infinite — The  Infinite  impossible  in  Nature,  for  Nature  consists 
of  Finites — Finites  without  Boundaries  are  not  Infinite— By 
whom  was  the  Universe  created  and  finited  ?  By  God  ;  but  if 
God  be  Finite,  By  whom  was  He  finited?  We  are  compelled 
to  confess  at  last  a  First  Cause,  un-caused  and  un-finited,  thus 
Infinite — We  can  say  the  Infinite  is;  we  can  never  know  tchat 
the  Infinite  is — The  character  of  the  Creator  inferred  from  His 
Creation — Nexus  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite— Without 
some  communication  with  the  Infinite,  the  Finite  could  not 
exist — Reason  affirms  such  a  Nexus,  but  knows  nothing  of  its 
character — Applies  to  Revelation  and  learns  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  Nexus — The  Soul  is  not  Infinite  because  created — It  must 
therefore  be  sought  in  Creation  somewhere  between  Points  and 
Earths — Being  Finite  it  must  be  extended — It  is  a  part  of  the 
Body,  but  dwells  in  no  particular  gland,  nor  is  diffused  throughout 
t lie  system — Its  seat  is  in  the  Brain  where  it  is  ubiquitous — Man 
comprise*  all  Elements,  therefore  by  his  Soul  Ifl  is  kin  to  the 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME.  XV 

Page. 

Sun  and  by  the  grosser  parts  of  his  body  to  the  Earths — 
Swedenborg  determines  to  search  for  the  Soul,  and  devotes 
himself  to  the  study  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology — Doubts  the 
soundness  of  his  Materialism — Probably  writes  '  De  Cultu  et 
'  Amove  DeV  about  this  time  (1734)  ...  ...  ...  98 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Death  of  Bishop  Svedberg. 

The  Bishop's  joy  in  his  Son — Svedberg's  Autobiography— Dies 
1705  aged  82— His  Directions  for  his  Funeral— His  Character, 
worldly  and  spiritual,  restless  and  aggressive — Love  of  Music — ■ 
God  always  on  his  side,  and  the  Devil  on  his  adversary's- — Much 
of  his  Frankness  insensibility — Left  a  considerable  Fortune — 
Swedenborg's  Income  (about  which,  see  Note  in  Appendix)     ...  110 

CHAPTER  XIL 
Seven  Years  of  Travel  and  of  Physiological  Studies. 


Swedenborg  leaves  Stockholm,  10th  July,  1736 — Amsterdam — 
Reflections  on  the  causes  of  Dutch  prosperity — Advantages  of  a 
Republic — Franciscan  Friars — Fat  Monks  in  Picardy — Arrives 
in  Paris,  where  he  remains  a  year  and  a  half — Sight-Seeing — 
Starts  for  Italy — Lyons — Turin — Milan — Four  months  in  Venice 
— Four  months  in  Rome — '  Opera  Philosophica  et  Mineralia? 
inscribed  in  1  Index  Exjmrgcttorius' — Pope  Clement  XII. — 
Florence  —  Genoa — Doge  and  Nobles  like  Apes  —  Conjectural 
Biography — Possibly  attended  Anatomical  Schools — Told  Tuxen 
he  had  a  Mistress  in  Italy  — Robsahm's  statement      ...  ...  114 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom. 

Search  for  the  Soul — Man  the  Epitome  of  Nature — Contents  of 
1  Economy  of  Animal  Kingdom'' — Experience  in  the  Dissecting- 
Room—  Summaries  of  the  Anatomists— Dangers  of  a  Discoverer 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIBST  VOLUME. 


Page. 

— Experience  the  only  safe  Guide — Swedenborg's  Constructive 

Spirit — Introduction  to  Rational  Psychology — Degrees  of  Order 
—  We  must  ascend  from  Low  to  High— Six  Grand  Series,  three 
superior  and  three  inferior,  divide  Creation — These  Series 
divisible  into  Series  and  Series  of  Series  with  the  exception  of 
the  First  Substance — The  Soul  to  be  approached  by  the  re- 
moval of  her  Coverings — Symbols  required  for  Inward  Essences 
— Locke  quoted — Morals  might  be  reduced  to  Rule  like  Mathe- 
matics— Science  of  the  Soul  based  in  Physics — The  Soul 
demanded  from  Anatomy,  which  answers  inquire  of  Animal 
Spirits — Ilaller  on  the  Nerve  Spirit — Animal  Spirits  give  Sweden- 
borg  what  he  requires— He  concentrates  his  attention  on  the 
Blood — All  in  the  Body  pre-exists  in  the  Blood,  therefore  to 
understand  the  Blood  is  to  understand  the  Body — A  Red-Blood 
Globule  is  the  first  Outcome  of  the  inner  Force  of  Nature,  and 
it-  most  perfect  and  simple  Entity — Its  Composition— Serum  its 
Atmosphere— Swedenborg's  Doctrine  of  Salt — Red  Blood  is  bred 
in  the  Stomach,  and  is  worn  as  a  vesture  by  the  "White  Blood 
which  is  derived  from  Ether  sucked  out  of  Air  in  the  Lungs — 
"White  Blood  the  vesture  of  the  Animal  Spirits  which  originate 
in  the  Brain  and  are  diffused  by  the  Nerves — Animal  Spirits 
identified  with  the  Soul,  afterwards  defined  as  the  Soul's  Vesture 
— Conjectures  and  Conclusions  about  the  Soul — Difficulty  of 
grasping  the  Soul — Dawn  of  Spiritual  Ideas — The  Spiritual 
Body — No  Resurrection  of  the  Flesh — The  Soul  will  be  its  own 
Judge— Earth  the  Seminary  of  Heaven — God  the  only  Life  — 
Suns  of  Nature  and  Heaven— Man's  Soul  from  his  Father  and 
Body  from  his  Mother — Courage  exemplified  in  Charles  XII.  ...  123 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Animal  Kingdom. 

Swedenborg  confesses  too  much  haste  in  approaching  the  Soul — 
Resolves  on  a  more  deliberate  Quest— Programme  of  Operations 
— He  works  for  Unbelievers — Induction  and  Deduction  the  two 
Paths  to  the  Soul— Deduction  renounced— Induction  chosen — 
He  will  ascend  from  Experience  to  Principles —Deduction,  whilst 
pretending  to  much,  has  nothing  underived  from  Experience  — 
A  line  piece  of  Self-criticism — Having  ascended  from  Experience 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


xvii 


Page. 

to  Doctrine  he  will  then  as  from  a  Mountain  contemplate  his 
Achievements — Contents  and  Method  of  the  'Animal  Kingdom' 
— Only  three  Parts  published — A  mass  of  work  left  in  manuscript  149 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Worship  and  Love  of  God. 

Date  of  the  Work  —  Its  Title  —  Its  Origin  in  an  Autumnal 
Meditation — Life  runs  from  Birth  to  Death  throughout  Creation 
— The  Sun  and  his  Seven  Children — Manner  of  their  Birth  and 
settlement  in  their  Orbits — The  Earth  a  boiling  mass  and 
perfect  sphere — Its  gradual  retreat  from  the  Sun — Origin  of 
Plants  and  completion  of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom  by  the  Sun — 
The  Spiritual  Sun  begins  to  operate  and  creates  from  Plants  as 
many  kinds  of  Animals  as  there  are  Plants — The  Earth  ready 
for  its  King — Adam's  birth,  nurture,  and  education — Eve's  birth 
and  introduction  to  Adam — Was  Swedenborg  in  earnest  ? — Note 
from  'Anti- Jacobin'  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  157 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Retrospective  Review. 

Swedenborg  thus  far  had  acquired  little  Reputation — His  practical 
Merits — Dr.  Percy  quoted — Misfortune  of  writing  in  Latin — 
Lack  of  special  or  peculiar  Doctrine — Loose  Style  and  Lumber- 
ing Eloquence — Resurrection  and  second  Death  of  his  Works — 
Emerson's  Eulogium  cited — Discoveries  ascribed  to  Swedenborg 
— Kingsley  quoted — Swedenborg  a  Theorist,  not  an  Experimen- 
talist— His  Reticence — Business  Habits  and  Prudence — Absence 
of  Humour  and  other  Characteristics — Our  Regard  for  him 
wholly  intellectual  —  His  Spiritual  Childhood  and  Scientific 
Manhood  —Search  for  the  Soul — His  Largeness,  Roughness  and 
Incompleteness — His  leisurely  Enterprise — Passion  and  Sacrifices 
for  Truth — His  Neglect  of  his  own  Works — Temper  of  his 
Manhood — Ignorance  of  Theology — Never  read  Jacob  Behmen — 
Relation  of  Faith  and  Good  Works  discussed — Hints  of  things 
to  come — Let  us  pass  the  Screen  between  the  Outer  and 
Inner  Worlds     ...  ...     174 


xviii 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


PART  n. 
Spirit-Seeing  and  Theology. 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Dawn  of  a  New  Life. 

Page. 

Swedenborg's  Respiration  as  a  Child— Curious  Experiences  in 
Manhood— Discovery  of  a  Diary  kept  by  hirn  in  1743-44 — 
Leaves  Stockholm  for  Holland  —  Beginning  of  Visions  —  A 
Machine,  Garden,  and  Vermin  —  Keys  and  Beetles  —  Before 
Easter  —  Lord's  Supper— Desolation  and  Extasy —  The  Lord 
appears  to  him — Sees  Bishop  Svedberg — Goes  down  Stairs  all 
Night — The  Greatest  of  Sinners — Riches  and  Melancholy — A 
Bookseller's  Shop — Silence  about  Visions — Kissed  by  a  Black 
Dog — A  Night  of  Bliss— Abstraction  in  the  Streets— Sense  of 
Unworthiness — Combats  with  Double  Thoughts — Voice  from  his 
Father — Women  tempt  him — Horrible  Dreams — Faith  in  God's 
Gift — Resolves  to  be  God's  wholly — Vanity  of  Riches — Afflicted 
with  Dogs  and  Evil  Thoughts — Strange  Dreams— Not  to  pollute 
himself  with  Theology—  His  Brother  Eliezer — Leaves  Holland 
for  England  —  Mysterious  Entries  —  Adventures  in  London  — 
Intense  Inward  Joy — Goes  to  Moravian  Chapel — Lodges  with 
Brockmer  in  Fetter  Lane— Account  of  Swedenborg's  Doings 
published  by  John  Wesley  in  lArminian  Magazine' — Plainly  a 
true  Story — Attempt  of  Hindmarsh  to  discredit  it — Mathesius 
confirmed  by  Okely — Wesley  invents  a  second  Story — Disin- 
genuous use  of  Wesley's  fiction  by  the  Swedenborgians — Their 
Slanders  of  Mathesius — Two  Jews  steal  Swedenborg's  watch — 
Diary  resumed  —  Fits  of  Shuddering  —  Amorous  Desires  — 
Symbolic  Dreams — Another  Vision  of  Christ—  Diary  ends- 
Moravian  Church  in  Fetter  Lane— Robsahm's  Account  of  Sweden- 
borg's first  Vision — Beyer's  Account  of  the  same — Passage  from 
Swedenborg's  Diary — Was  he  mad? — What  if  he  was? — London 
in  1744-45  -  Leaves  London  for  Stockholm  in  rammer  <>f  1745  ...  !!'."» 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


xix 


CHAPTER  II. 

Called  to  a  New  Work. 

Page. 

Resumes  his  Assessorship — Learns  Hebrew — Adversaria  on  Old 
Testament — Resigns  Office  in  1747,  and  receives  a  Pension  equal 
to  his  Salary — Letter  to  Hartley — Statements  concerning  his 
Spiritual  Privileges  —  Contempt  with  which  these  will  be  re- 
ceived— Carlyle  quoted — Swedenborg  must  be  sharply  tried,  but 
How  ? — Conditions  of  his  acquaintance  with  Heaven  and  Hell — 
What  can  and  cannot  be  seen — Finer  Substances  of  Nature  the 
ground  of  the  Spiritual  World — Correspondence  of  the  Outer 
and  Inner  Worlds — The  Spiritual  Sun — Appearances  of  Space — 
How  Angels  travel — Mind  governs  appearances  in  the  Spiritual 
World — The  Light  of  Heaven — Man  belongs  to  both  Worlds — 
How  he  may  behold  the  Inner  World — Swedenborg's  case— His 
peculiar  Respiration — Dr.  Johnson  on  Apparitions  —  Sweden- 
borg's noble  opportunities  —  Appearances  of  those  given  to 
abstract  thought  in  the  Spiritual  World— Opening  of  the  Inner 
Sight  illustrated  in  the  instance  of  Elisha's  young  man — Sweden- 
borg's Divine  Call  not  peculiar,  but  a  very  common  profession — 
Catechism  and  Herbert  quoted — St.  John  on  the  Divine  Pre- 
sence— How  Swedenborg's  authority  is  to  be  vindicated — Truth 
its  own  Witness — Who  alone  can  receive  Truth — Angels  only 
believe  what  they  see  to  be  true — Why  Men  are  careless  about 
Truth — Any  Authority  in  Swedenborg  disowned — Absurdity  of 
a  general  Providence — God's  Government  special  and  universal 
— Imputation  of  our  Infirmities  to  God — God's  work  per- 
petual— He  alone  lives  and  is  ever  and  everywhere  the  same — 
He  is  to  each  one  of  us  as  near  as  to  Swedenborg — How  Sweden- 
borg saw  the  Lord — How  He  is  seen  by  the  Angels — How  He 
was  seen  by  the  Men  of  the  Bible — How  He  speaks  with  and 
may  be  seen  by  every  Man — How  He  fills  Men — In  what  sense 
the  Lord  made  His  second  Advent  in  Swedenborg — Dr.  Channing 
on  the  Lord's  appearances  ...  ...  ...  ...  249 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Spiritual  Diary. 


Settlement  of  Swedenborg's  Mind — His  Temptations — Sails  for 
London,  1747 — Christian  VI.  and  the  Bishop — Commences  a 


XX 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


Pag*. 

Spiritual  Diary — Its  Character — Spirits  torment  him — Punish- 
ment of  a  Witch — Worldly  Cares  close  Heaven — Misers  and  Mice 
— Book  Worms — Beggars  after  Death — Directed  by  an  Angel — 
Conspiracy  to  suffocate  Swedenborg — He  is  tempted  to  steal — 
How  Spirits  might  possess  Men — Punishment  of  Lazy  Women — 
Worthless  Metaphysics — Conversation  with  deceased  Acquaint- 
ance— Spirits  can  change  Flavours — White  Vestments — Ill-Gotten 
soon  lost — Punishment  of  Whirling — Piety  blended  with  Hatred 
— Rank  vanishes  with  Death — Spirits  claim  Swedenborg's  work 
— Lying  Spirits — Hebrew  Scholars — Martyrs — Spirits  settle  in 
Places  and  Dress — Boys  Fighting — Swedenborg's  Happiness — 
Prayers — Spirits  plot  to  have  Swedenborg  run  over  in  London 
streets — Sirens  seek  to  possess  him — He  is  possessed  by  Spirits — 
The  Reward  of  Love — Advised  to  suppress  his  Discoveries — 
Bishop  Svedberg's  employment — Origin  of  Dreams — Evil  punishes 
and  Goodness  rewards  itself— Origin  of  Good  and  Evil— Hypo- 
crites— The  Lord's  Providence — Sara  Ilesselia  prompts  Sweden- 
borg to  kill  himself         ...  ...  ...  ..  ...  288 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Publication  of  the  Arcana  Ccelestia. 

Eight  Quartos  published  in  London  between  1749  and  1756 — 
Failure  at  first  of  the  Enterprise — Angels  poor  Advisers — Stephen 
Penny — Second  Volume  translated  into  English  and  published 
cheaply  in  parts — Lewis's  Advertisement — William  Law  reads 
and  scolds — Characteristics  of  the  18th  Century — Goldsmith  on 
the  Bible — Common-Sense  better  than  Learning — Swedenborg  in 
praise  of  Common-Perception        ...  ...  ...  ...  310 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Arcana  C(elestia. 

Bulk  of  the  Work  explained — Limits  of  our  Review — First  eleven 
Chapters  of  Genesis  symbolic  and  not  matter-of-fact  History — 
The  Most  Ancient  Church — Adam  was  a  Church  selected  from  a 
Race  which  lived  as  Beasts— The  Days  of  Creation  symbolic  of 
the  ascent  from  the  Animal  to  the  Man— Canaan  the  land  of  the 
Adamites — Their  simple  Domestic  Life— Their  Food — Their  In- 
tercourse by  Facial  Movements — Their  peculiar  Respiration — 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


xxi 


Page. 

Their  Wisdom  without  Books — Their  Perception  of  the  meaning 
of  Nature — No  formal  Worship,  their  lives  being  one  Song  of 
Praise— Their  Fall  through  Pride— Pride  dissected — The  Fall 
gradual — Factitious  Genealogies  of  Genesis — Final  Destruction  of 
the  Adamites — Their  Hells  and  Heavens — The  Ancient  Church — 
Inferiority  to  its  Predecessor — Scriptures  of  the  Ancient  Church — - 
Preserved  to  this  day  among  the  Tartars— Noah  represents  the 
beginning  of  the  Ancient  Church — Its  wide  Diffusion — Predomi- 
nance of  Wisdom  in  its  Members — Charity  their  Distinction — 
Their  Delight  in  the  Science  of  Correspondences — Glory  of  the 
Ancient  Church — Its  Decline  and  Fall  into  Idolatry — Hells  of 
the  Ancient  Church — Allegory  exchanged  for  History — The 
Jewish  Church — Abraham  an  Idolator — Moses  taught  the  Jews 
the  name  of  Jehovah — Egyptian  Miracles — Selfish  Jacob  the 
type  of  the  Jews — Their  Worship  of  Jehovah — Their  Spiritual 
Ignorance — Their  Avarice — Their  Pride  and  Cruelty — In  what 
sense  the  Jews  were  chosen — Jews  as  Representatives — Repre- 
sentation independent  of  Character — Land  of  Canaan — Why  the 
Jews  were  suffered  to  extirpate  the  Canaanites — The  Jews,  their 
Land,  Law  and  Worship  all  symbolic — Our  interest  in  Judaism — 
The  Jews  ignorant  of  their  own  Symbolism — Cause  of  this 
Ignorance — Use  of  the  Jewish  Church — Jewish  History  a  Divine 
Revelation — Why  God  became  incarnate  in  Mary — How  He 
rejected  all  He  assumed  from  her — How  He  thereby  became 
manifest  as  Man  and  reduced  the  Universe  to  Order — The 
Christian  Church — The  Series  of  Four  Churches — A  limping 
Analogy — Desolation  of  the  contemporary  Church — The  Preva- 
lent Philosophy — The  Last  Judgement  at  hand — Character  of 
Souls  from  Christendom — Gentiles  will  form  a  New  Church  — 
The  Chinese — History  of  Man  is  the  History  of  the  Church — 
Humanity  in  Heaven,  on  Earth,  and  in  Hell  knit  together — This 
Chapter  merely  a  thread  drawn  from  the  great  coil  of  the  'Arcana 
Cailestia:  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  325 

CHAPTER  VI. 
London  and  Stockholm. 

London  Lodgings  and  Streets — Moravians  and  their  secret  tenets — 
Quakers  and  their  atrocious  Practices — Their  lot  in  Hell — Moses 
in  Cheapside — King  David  and  his  badness — He  tries  to  destroy 


xxii 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


Pa^e. 

Swedenborg — St.  Paul's  nefarious  Character — Associates  with 
the  worst  Devils — His  Lust  after  Power — Polhem  dies  and 
witnesses  his  own  Funeral — His  inward  Character — Spirits  see 
through  Swedenborg's  eyes — Boys  fighting  in  the  Streets — 
Charles  XII.  'a  most  horrid  Devil' — Fights  with  his  "Wife,  who 
beats  him — Characteristics  and  Fate — Charles  XI.  and  Queen 
re-united  in  Heaven — Ulrika  Eleonora  marries  a  German — Gus- 
tavus  Vasa  an  Idiot — Gustavus  Adolphus  an  Adulterer — Con- 
versation with  Queen  Christina — Bishop  Svedberg  appears  in  a 
Dream  —  Execution  of  Brahe  and  Home  —  Brahe  appears  to 
Swedenborg — Conduct  of  Criminals  after  Execution — Publishes 
five  Books  in  London      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  382 

CHAPTER  VIL 
Heaven  and  Hell. 

Swedenborg's  most  readable  Book — Heaven,  the  World  of 
Spirits,  and  Hell  defined — Majority  of  Souls  detained  in  the 
World  of  Spirits — Character  there  reduced  to  Consistency — The 
Ruling  Love — Resurrection — Difficulty  of  believing  in  Death — 
A  Jew's  Experience — Meetings  of  Relatives  and  Friends — First 
Days  in  the  World  of  Spirits — Disguises  dropped — Slow  change 
of  Hypocrites — Judgement  of  Souls,  with  cases — None  punished 
for  deeds  done  on  Earth,  and  Why — Scenery  of  World  of  Spirits 
— Ways  to  Heaven  and  Hell — Good  and  Evil  Spirits  discover  the 
gates  which  lead  to  their  eternal  Homes — The  Hells  lie  under 
the  World  of  Spirits— Stenches  of  the  Hells— The  World  of 
Spirits  is  not  Purgatory  —  The  Heavens  —  Constitution  of 
Heavenly  Societies  —  Three  Heavens,  an  Inmost,  Outer,  and 
Outmost — Angels  of  Love  inmost — Angels  of  Wisdom  outer — 
Angels  of  Obedience  outmost — Two  Kingdoms  of  Heaven — This 
order  of  the  Heavens  represented  in  the  Courts  of  the  Jewish 
Temple — The  Universal  Heaven  is  a  Man — Explanation  of  the 
Statement — Hobbes  quoted— A  very  ancient  Doctrine — Heaven 
is  a  Man  because  its  Maker  and  Life  is  Man — How  a  Spirit 
produces  his  own  Circumstances — The  Sun  of  Heaven — Varia- 
tions of  its  Heat  and  Light — Times  and  Seasons  in  Heaven — No 
Clocks  there — Angels  have  no  idea  of  Time — Spaces  in  Heaven 
and  Travelling  there— Homes  of  the  Angels — Cities.  Palaces, 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME.  xxiii 

Page. 

Gardens,  and  Upholstery — Angels  are  complete  Men  and  Women 
Their  Beauty — To  grow  old  in  Heaven  is  to  grow  young — 
Marriages  of  the  Angels — Their  Garments — Their  Power — Their 
Wisdom,  with  Illustrations — Worship  and  Temples  of  Heaven — 
What  is  true  Worship — Preachers — Innocence  of  the  Angels — 
Their  Peace — Their  Happiness — Their  Language — How  they 
converse  with  Men — Intercourse  of  Angels  and  Devils  with  Men 
— Experience  of  Swedenborg — Perils  of  Intercourse  with  Spirits 
— Connection  of  Heaven  with  Man  by  the  Word — Writing  and 
Books  in  Heaven — All  Infants  go  to  Heaven — Their  Education — 
A  Girls'  School — Gentiles  in  Heaven — Illustrations  of  Gentile 
Character — Government  in  Heaven — Employments  of  the  Angels 
— All  Angels  and  Devils  once  Men — Immensity  of  Heaven — 
Character  the  only  Qualification  for  Heaven — Not  difficult  to 
qualify  for  Heaven — Poverty  as  dangerous  as  Riches — Saints — 
Piety  alone  difficult  and  useless — Swedenborg's  practical  spirit — 
The  Hells — Societies  of  Hell — As  many  Hells  as  Heavens — 
Ugliness  of  Devils — Infernal  Scenery — Self-Love  the  Source  of 
every  infernal  Horror — Hell  not  horrible  to  its  Inhabitants — 
Darkness  of  Hell — Hell-Fire — Gnashing  of  Teeth — No  King 
Satan — Government  of  Hell — The  Whip  its  Sceptre — Hell  a 
Workhouse — Equilibrium  between  Heaven  and  Hell — Difficulties 
of  this  Statement — The  Lord  casts  none  into  Hell — Who  will 
believe  these  Reports  ?     ...  ...  ...          ...  ...405 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Planets  and  their  People. 

Manner  of  Swedenborg's  acquaintance  with  the  Planets  stated — 
Mercury — Passion  of  its  Spirits  for  information — Their  Dis- 
cussion with  Swedenborg— Venus — Two  classes  of  Inhabitants — 
Mars— Best  Spirits  of  our  Solar  System  come  from  Mars — Their 
Worship,  Food  and  Habits — Jupiter— Densely  peopled — Gen- 
tleness of  the  Inhabitants — Care  of  their  Faces,  and  Conversa- 
tion thereby — Large  Horses — Spirits  of  Jupiter  view  this  Earth 
through  Swedenborg's  eyes  —  Their  curious  carriage  —  Their 
delight  in  long  Meals — Their  simple  Fare — Innocence — Ignorance 
of  Science— Houses — Worship— Marriage — Death — Saturn — 
Religious  Knowledge  —  Habits  and  Food— Great  Belt— The 


XXIV  CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 

Moon — Its  Inhabitants  arc  Dwarfs— Their  mode  of  Speech — 
All  Moons  inhabited — Uranus  and  Neptune  passed  over — 
Explanation  of  the  oversight — The  Sun — Described  as  4  Pure 
1  Fire' — Why  the  Lord  was  born  on  our  Earth — Our  place  in  the 
Grand  Man — Five  Earths  visited,  and  many  curious  details 
given  of  their  Inhabitants — What  is  to  be  thought  of  our 
Traveller? — Our  Preference  for  our  own  World        ...  ...  506 


APPENDIX. 

Note  L — Swedenborg  at  Upsala  ...         ...  ...  ...  539 

Note  If.  —  The  Academies  op*  Sciences  of  Upsala  and 

Stockholm       ...         ...         ...         ...  .  .  ...  539 

Note  III. — Swedenborg's  Salary...          ...  ...  ...  539 

Catalogue  of  Swedenborg's  Writings       ...  ...  ...  540 

Index  to  both  Volumes  ...         ...         ...  ...  ...  557 


CHAPTER  I. 


JESPER  SVEDBERG. 


Swedenborg  taught  that  a  man  takes  his  soul  from  his 
father,  and  his  body  from  his  mother — a  dogma  which  we  need 
not  implicitly  accept  in  order  to  feel  an  interest  in  some  facts 
concerning  his  own  stock. 

His  father,  Jesper  Svedberg,  was  a  notable  man  in  Sweden, 
and,  from  a  humble  origin,  rose  to  the  bishopric  of  Skara.  He 
was  the  son  of  Daniel  Isaksson,  a  copper  smelter,  in  Fahlun,  and 
was  born  on  the  28th  of  August,  1653.  After  a  custom  of  the 
time,  not  yet  extinct,  and  which  produces  many  new  and  strange 
surnames,  he  was  called,  not  Isaksson,  but  Svedberg,  after  the 
homestead  of  Sveden,  which  his  parents  owned.  How  Sved- 
berg developed  into  Swedenborg  will  in  due  course  be  told. 

Daniel  Isaksson  and  his  wife  Anna  were  pious,  industrious, 
and  poor,  and  had  quite  a  flock  of  children,  whom  they  brought 
up  in  4  a  godly,  severe,  and  serious  manner.'  L  My  mother,' 
writes  Jesper,  '  was  to  me  all  that  Monica  was  to  Augustine.' 
Isaksson  reckoned  his  family  the  source  of  all  his  blessings, 
.  and  that  they  were  to  him  means  of  income  and  prosperity. 
After  dining,  he  would  sometimes  say,  4  Thank  you,  my 
4  children,  for  dinner  !  I  have  dined  with  you,  and  not  you  with 
4  me.  God  has  given  me  food  for  your  sake  ;'  a  speech  pregnant 
with  that  wisdom  which  is  foolishness  to  the  world,  that  takes 
Malthus  for  a  prophet. 

Isaksson's  cheerful  faith  was  continually  justified  in  plenty, 
and  crowned  at  last  in  abundance  beyond  his  hopes.  He 
formed  one  of  a  party  of  twenty-four  to  open  a  deserted 

B 


2 


jester's  boyhood. 


copper  mine  flooded  with  water,  and  by  its  yield  he  became 
one  of  the  richest  miners  in  his  district. 

Our  boy  Jesper,  when  in  his  sixth  year,  was  playing  with 
his  brother  by  the  mill-dam,  which  was  running  furioiislv, 
swollen  with  the  spring  floods.  The  brother  got  upon  the 
cross-bar  of  the  sluice,  and  defied  Jesper  to  follow.  Jesper  at 
once  sprang  up,  tumbled  into  the  stream,  and  was  borne  down 
to  the  mill  wheel  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  stopped  with  his 
feet.  Alarm  was  given,  and  after  much  trouble  he  was  taken 
out  as  dead,  but  with  many  pains  he  was  revived.  4  From 
4  that  day,'  he  tells  us,  4  I  determined  to  commend  myself, 
4  morning  and  evening,  to  the  hand  of  God  and  the  keeping 
4  of  his  holy  Angels.' 

He  was  sent  to  a  school  at  Fahlun  kept  by  a  drunken  master, 
nicknamed  Ill-Peter,  whose  habits  and  free  use  of  the  rod  dis- 
gusted Jesper.  He  loved  books  ;  his  Bible  he  read  constantly, 
alone  and  to  others,  and  was  delighted  when  he  could  find  an 
audience  before  whom  he  could  play  at  preaching.  These  and 
other  signs  satisfied  his  parents  that  he  was  destined  for  the 
ministry.  To  see  a  son  in  the  pulpit  is  an  ambition  common 
alike  to  many  a  lowly  Swedish  and  Scottish  home. 

At  thirteen  they  therefore  sent  him  to  college,  first  to 
Upsala  for  three  years,  and  then  to  Lund.  At  Lund  he  had  a 
relative,  Professor  Holm,  who  drilled  him  thoroughly  in  logic 
and  metaphysics,  to  which  he  had  a  strong  dislike.  At  a 
scholastic  discussion  he  took  occasion  to  shew  what  he  thought 
of  his  studies,  by  reading  an  address  crammed  with  metaphysical 
jargon,  which  set  the  company  in  roars  of  laughter.  Samuel 
Putfendorf,  who  had  been  drawn  to  Lund,  as  Professor  of  In- 
ternational Law,  by  King  Charles  XL,  applauded  the  youth's 
performance ;  the  great  jurist  having  a  supreme  contempt  for 
pedantry. 

Svedberg's  life  at  Lund  shewed  a  marked  change  from  that 
at  Upsala,  as  he  with  much  naivete  tells  us.  k  When  at  I  psala, 
4  I  went  about  with  blue  stockings  and  Swedish  bather  ihoes, 


JESPER  SVEDBERG  AT  COLLEGE. 


3 


4  and  a  plain  bine  cloak.  I  did  not  dare  to  go  into  church,  but 
4  stopped  at  the  font,  close  behind  the  men's  pews.  But  in  Lund 
4 1  became  worldly  like  my  companions.  I  sported  a  wig,  black 
4  and  long,  a  fine  great-coat,  a  sash  as  then  worn  by  laymen, 
4  and  thought  nobody  was  like  me,  and  that  common  folks 
4  should  clear  out  of  my  way,  and  make  obeisance  to  me.' 

The  constant  presence  of  Spirits  good  and  evil,  and  at  times 
open  intercourse  with  them,  was  Svedberg's  assured  faith.  He 
knew  that  he  consorted  with  an  Angel,  who  assisted  him  in  all 
affairs,  and  protected  him  in  all  dangers.  When  at  college,  he 
had  a  vision,  in  which,  like  St.  Paul,  he  saw  and  heard  things 
unspeakable.  After  preaching  at  Hoby,  near  Lund,  on  the 
third  Sunday  after  Trinity,  in  1673,  towards  nightfall  there 
were  heard  in  the  vacant  church,  where  there  was  no  organ, 
loud  voices  singing  psalms.  All  the  people  of  the  hamlet 
heard  the  ravishing  sounds.  4  From  that  time,'  he  tells  us,  4 1 
4  held  in  awful  reverence  the  offices  of  Divine  worship,  knowing 
4  that  God's  Angels  were  peculiarly  present  during  their  trans- 
4  action.'  In  remembrance  of  this  manifestation  of  angelic 
power,  he  annually  celebrated  the  third  Sunday  after  Trinity 
as  1  The  Great  Festival  of  Great  Sinners.' 

1  Whilst  a  student,'  he  relates,  1  God  kept  me  from  evil 
4  company.  To  be  with  holy  men,  and  to  read  the  works  of 
4  those  who  had  written  about  the  Bible,  and  whose  fame  is 
4  spread  through  the  learned  world,  was  my  chief  joy.  God's 
4  Angel  once  stood  by  me  and  said,  44  What  are  you  reading 
4  44  there?"  I  replied, 44  I  read  the  Bible,  Scriver,  (whose  Treasure 
4  ufor  Souls  I  esteem  more  than  all  gold  and  silver)  Ltitkeman, 
4  44  Jo.  Arndt,  Kortholt,  Grossgebaur,  Jo.  Schmidt,  and  others." 
4  The  Angel  then  asked, 44  Do  you  understand  what  you  read  in 
4  44  the  Bible  ?"  I  answered,  44  How  can  I  understand  when  no 
4  44  one  interprets  for  me  ?"  Then  the  Angel  said,  44  Get  Geier, 
4  44  J.  and  S.  Schmidt,  Dieterich,  Tamov,  Gerhard,  and  Crell's 
4  44  Biblical  Concordance."  I  said,  44  Some  of  these  I  have  and 
4  44  the  others  I  will  procure."  Then  spoke  the  Angel, 44  Blessed 

B  2 


4 


PROFESSOR  BRUNNEH. 


tU  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  Ail  pro- 
4  44  phecy,  and  keep  those  things  which  are  written  therein,"  and 
4  44  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them.*' 
'  I  sighed,  praying  that  by  the  help  of  God's  spirit  1  might 
4  give  each  minute  of  my  life  to  His  most  holy  will.  Thereon 
4  the  Angel  blessed  me,  I  thanked  him  humbly,  and  he 
4  departed/ 

At  twenty-one  he  returned  to  Upsala  and  entered  himself 
as  a  candidate  for  a  theological  bursarv.  M.  Brunner,  the 
Professor  of  Theology  ran  his  eye  over  the  young  man.  and 
asked  him  if  he  hoped  to  become  a  clergyman  in  a  eonrtier's 
dress.  He  did  not  require  a  second  hint ;  off  went  the  gay 
clothes  and  he  re-appeared  in  a  becoming  garb.  Brnnner 
discerned  a  good  heart  in  Svedberg  and  took  him  to  his  home 
as  tutor  to  his  son  Sebastian.  4  In  B  runner's  house,'  he  says, 
4  I  learnt  many  good  things  in  morals  as  well  as  learning,  and 
4  above  all  to  lead  a  pious,  righteous,  and  orderly  life.  Brnnner 
4  was  a  spiritual  man  in  speech,  manners,  clothes. yea  throughout 
4  his  whole  being.'  Brnnner  allowed  him  to  occupy  his  pulpit, 
and  after  his  death  in  1679  Svedberg  continued  to  officiate  for 
three  years  in  his  parish.  He  published  lA  Short  Sermon  on 
4  the  Premature  Death  of  the  Bee.  If.  Brunner ,  D.D.,  Professor 
4  at  Ujjsala  and  Rector  in  the  Parish  of  Darmtnarky  which  was 
as  the  letting  out  of  water ;  for  from  that  time  forth  throughout 
his  long  career  he  plied  the  printing  press  almost  incessantly. 
4  I  can  scarcely  believe/  he  says,  4  that  anybody  in  Sweden 
4  has  written  so  much  as  I  have  done  ;  since,  I  think,  ten  carts 
k  could  scarcely  cany  away  what  1  have  written  and  printed  at 
4  my  own  expence,  yet  there  is  much,  verily  there  is  nearly  as 
k  much  not  printed.' 

In  1682  he  took  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  in 
1683  he  was  ordained  priest,  and  the  same  year  was  appointed 
Chaplain  to  the  King's  Regiment  of  Cavalry  Life  (inards. 

Aged  30,  and  with  a  reasonable  provision  for  life,  Sved- 
berg thought  he  might  now  take  a  wife;  and  on  the  16th  of 


MARRIES  AND  GOES  ABROAD. 


5 


December,  1683,  he  married  Sara,  daughter  of  Albreeht 
Behm,  Assessor  of  the  Eoyal  College  of  Mines.  Her  father 
and  family  were  wealthy,  and  she  brought  him  a  considerable 
dowry,  with  which  he  resolved  to  travel  and  see  the  world 
outside  Sweden.  After  spending  some  six  months  with  his 
young  wife  he  obtained  a  year's  furlough,  and  about  Mid- 
summer, 1684,  sailed  for  England. 

To  London  and  Oxford  he  gave  three  months.  He  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Fell,  Bishop  of  Oxford,  with  whom  he 
had  much  conversation  on  ecclesiastical  union,  telling  him 
that  'it  could  never  be  effected  save  by  the  hand  of  God, 
L  prayer,  and  a  peaceful  mind.1  He  was  deeply  impressed 
*  with  the  sanctified  lives  of  the  English  clergy,  and  the  strict 
4  observance  of  Sunday  by  the  people.'  Paris  he  next  visited, 
and  '  was  much  pleased  to  see  the  care  the  Catholic  Church 
'  took  of  the  poor ;  and  how  ladies  of  quality  dressed  in  mean 
4  garments,  sought  out  the  sick  and  houseless,  and  ministered  to 
1  them  with  as  much  tenderness  as  if  they  had  been  their  blood- 
1  relations.1  In  Strasburg  he  lived  some  time  at  the  house  of 
the  theologian  Bebclius,  where  he  met  and  enjoyed  the  company 
of  the  learned  Sebastian  Schmidt.  These  two  men  he  used  to 
speak  of  afterwards  as  his  spiritual  fathers.  Spener,  the 
leader  of  the  Pietists,  he  wished  to  visit ;  but  he  was  then 
ill  in  bed,  and  he  had  to  suppress  his  longing  for  com- 
munion with  him.  In  1685  he  left  Strasburg,  and  went  to 
Heidelberg,  Mannheim,  &c.  At  Mannheim  he  met  a  Lutheran 
clergyman,  who  tried  his  patience  sadly  with  a  tedious 
disquisition  concerning  the  then  flagrant  controversy  as  to 
the  propriety  of  saying  Unser  Vater,  Our  Father,  according 
to  the  German  idiom,  instead  of  Vater  Unser,  Father  Our, 
as  Luther  had  done,  following  the  Latin,  Pater  Noster.  At 
Frankfort  he  saw  Ludolph,  the  only  man  he  met  in  all  his 
journey  who  could  talk  Swedish.  Ludolph  had  travelled 
in  Sweden,  liked  the  Swedes,  but  told  Svedberg  to  'my 
i  country's  shame  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  Swedish 


6 


SEEKS  OUT  PIOUS  MEN. 


1  grammar  in  existence.'  Down  the  Rhine  he  passed  into 
Holland,  seeing  its  cities,  and  then  by  sea  to  Hamburg, 
where  he  lived  for  ten  weeks  in  the  house  of  Kdzardius,  a 
learned  orientalist,  zealous  for  the  conversion  of  the  Jews, 
and  an  indefatigable  clergyman.  He  exercised  the  young 
people  of  his  church  every  Sunday  in  the  catechism,  to 
Svedberg's  great  satisfaction.  4  It  is  not  to  be  described,1 
he  writes,  4  how  piously  and  seriously  this  holy  man  lived. 
4  He  laid  his  hands  every  day  on  the  heads  of  his  children,  and 
4  blessed  them  as  Jacob  did  his  sons,  and  Christ  little  children. 
4  God  bless  his  soul,  and  give  him  His  eternal  rest ! ' 

Svedberg  asked  Edzardius  what  language  we  should  use  in 
Heaven.  The  Doctor  was  silent.  Then  said  Svedberg,  4 1 
4  think  it  will  be  the  language  of  Angels.  As  the  Angels 
4  speak  Swedish  when  conversing  with  Swedes,  German  with 
4  the  Germans,  English  with  the  English,  and  so  on,  I  shall  have 
4  to  talk  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  in  Swedish,  and  they 
4  will  answer  in  the  same  ;  and  when  they  talk  to  one  another 
4  in  Hebrew,  I  shall  know  what  they  say,  for  I  understand  that 
4  tongue.'* 

Svedberg  returned  to  Stockholm  in  August,  1685,  and  was 
made  glad  by  the  sight  of  a  son,  born  to  him  in  the  November 
of  his  absence,  and  named  Albrecht  after  his  grandfather. 
The  year  of  travel  he  had  enjoyed  proved  a  seed-time  in  his 
existence ;  in  it  lie  acquired  methods  and  impulses  which 
through  life  he  turned  to  fruitful  practice. 

To  his  regiment,  consisting  of  1,200  men,  he  resolved  to  be  a 
chaplain  indeed,  and  commenced  by  exereising  them  thoroughly 
in  the  catechism.    4  To  this,'  he  tells  us,  4  they  were  quite  un- 

*  Says  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  1  Every  Spirit  and  Angel,  when  conversing 
with  a  man,  speaks  to  him  in  his  mother-tongue  ;  thus  French  with  a 
Frenchman,  English  with  an  Englishman,  Greek  with  a  Greek,  Arabic  with 
an  Arabian,  and  so  forth.  With  one  another  Spirits  and  Angels  converse  in 
a  universal  spiritual  language,  which  every  one  after  death  utters  sponta- 
neously, without  difficulty  and  without  laglllllhm  "  (\mjmjial  Loir,  n.  326, 
published  1766. 


HIS  WORK  AS  CHAPLAIN. 


7 


4  used,  so  that  when  they  saw  me  coming,  as  they  afterwards  told 
4  me,  they  quivered  more  than  they  ever  did  before  the  enemy  ; 
4  but  when  I  commenced  telling  them  in  a  quiet  way  stories 
4  from  the  Bible,  and  strengthening  them  in  Christian  faith  and 
i  life  they  began  to  like  me  so  well  that  they  did  not  care  to  go 
^  away  when  their  time  was  up  and  another  detachment  was 
*  coming  in,  so  that  between  the  two  I  was  nearly  trampled 
4  down.  The  officers,  likewise,  sat  at  the  table  listening  and 
4  exchanging  with  me  good  and  edifying  words.  At  one  yearly 
1  muster  of  the  regiment  I  told  them  that  next  year  I  should 
4  give  every  man  a  catechism  who  could  read  print.  I  took 
4  down  the  names  of  all  those  who  could  then  read  to  the  number 
4  of  300.  Next  year  I  found  600  so  qualified,  and  it  cost  me 
4  six  hundred  copper  dollars  to  redeem  my  promise.  I  went 
1  immediately  to  King  Charles  XI.  and  told  hhn  of  the  expense 
4 1  had  been  put  to,  and  he  at  once  took  up  his  purse  and  gave 
4  me  a  handful  of  silver  without  counting  it.1 

The  regiment  did  not  take  up  all  his  time,  and  he  officiated 
as  assistant  to  the  court  chaplain.  His  free  and  honest 
preaching  won  the  King's  heart,  and  he  commanded  his  services 
as  a  regular  court  chaplain.  He  pleaded  hard  in  his  sermons  for 
strict  ecclesiastical  discipline,  a  sabbatical  observance  of  Sunday, 
and  other  reforms,  which  advocated  with  blunt  fervour  in  the 
midst  of  transgressors  earned  him  much  dislike,  and  involved 
him  in  many  troubles.  One  day  the  King  told  him,  44  Thou 
44  hast  many  enemies,"  to  which  he  answered,  44  The  servant  of 
44  the  Lord,  your  majesty,  is  not  good  for  much  who  has  not 
44  enemies.  Look  at  the  Prophets,  Apostles,  and  Christ  himself, 
44  what  foes  and  detractors  had  they  not !"  On  another  occasion, 
the  King  said,  44  Ask  what  you  like  and  I  will  give  it  to  you." 
It  required  a  strong  head  to  carry  such  favour,  but  Svedberg 
appears  to  have  been  equal  to  it.  4  From  that  day,'  he  tells 
us,  4 1  became  more  earnest  and  wary  in  all  I  said  and  did.  I 
4  asked  nothing  for  myself  or  mine,  no  not  even  half  a  stiver  > 
4  but  spoke  to  the  King  freely  concerning  men  meritorious  and 


8 


CONVERSATION  with  CHAKLE8  XI. 


k  men  pour,  and  he  always  attended  to  my  desires.  I  also 
4  pleaded  tor  his  favour  for  schools,  colleges,  and  the  circulation 
4  of  religious  books.  When  he  asked  nie  who  should  be  appointed 
4  to  such  and  such  a  living,  I  named  the  person  I  thought,  saying 
4  he  is  serious  and  one  of  the  1  old  sort,'  and  he  straightway  got 
4  the  place.  Hence  many  good  men  came  into  rich  livings  to 
4  their  happy  surprise,  and  without  any  idea  of  who  it  was  that 
1  had  singled  them  out  for  promotion.  As  I  found  every  day 
4  freer  access  to  his  Majesty  I  prayed  with  my  whole  heart  unto 
4  God  that  1  might  not  become  proud  nor  misuse  my  oppor- 
4  tunities,  but  that  He  should  apply  me  to  His  glory  and  service; 
4  and  that  I  might  fulfil  my  every  duty  with  watchfulness,  and 
4  never  forget  that  court  favour  is  variable,  and  that  I  was  girt 
4  about  with  gossips  and  backbiters.  Moreover,  I  laid  down 
4  these  two  rules  for  myself  ;  first,  To  meddle  in  no  affairs 
4  political  or  mundane  with  which  I  had  no  business  ;  and 
4  second,  Never  to  speak  ill  of  any  one  should  he  even  be  my 
4  worst  enemy  and  persecutor.' 


APPOINTED  TO  VINGAKEP. 


9 


CHAPTER  II. 


JESPER  SVEDBERGr  AT  HOME  AND  IN  THE  WOKLD, 


In  this  time  of  royal  favour,  on  the  29th  of  January,  1688, 
was  Svedberg's  second  son  born.  He  called  him  Emanuel,  a 
name,  he  thought,  i  which  should  continually  remind  him  of 
4  the  nearness  of  God,  and  of  that  interior,  holy,  and  mysterious 
4  union  in  which,  through  faith,  we  stand  to  our  good  and 
'  gracious  God.' 

In  1690  the  King  appointed  Svedberg  to  the  rural  living 
of  Vingaker,  but  he  did  not  leave  Stockholm  to  occupy  it 
until  1692.  He  found  the  widow  and  children  of  his  pre- 
decessor were  badly  off,  so  he  left  them  for  a  year  in  possession 
of  the  parsonage,  with  its  fields  and  meadows,  allowed  them 
half  the  income,  and  paid  all  their  taxes;  1  and,'  he  says,  4 1 
'  lost  nothing  thereby,  for  I  am  of  the  firm  opinion  that  one 
L  derives  more  blessings  from  the  prayers  of  widows,  orphans, 
'  and  the  wretched  than  from  the  richest  living.' 

His  connection  with  the  people  at  Vingaker  was  brief ; 
but,  he  says,  4  the  days  I  spent  among  them  were  the  sweetest 
1  of  my  life.  They  received  me  as  they  might  have  done  an 
4  Angel.  My  love  for  them,  and  theirs  for  me,  was  more  than 
i  words  can  express.  They  pulled  down  the  large,  old,  worn- 
4  out  vicarage,  and  built  me  a  new  one  with  many  handsome 
4  rooms,  without  any  cost  to  me  worth  mentioning.  Scarcely  a 
4  day  passed  in  which  they  did  not  bring  us  more  than  was 
4  needful  for  our  domestic  economy  ;  a  sort  of  kindness  which 
'  at  first  gladdened  me  much,  but  afterwards  oppressed  and 
1  frightened  me.' 


10 


VINGAKER  AND  THEN  UPSALA. 


They  were  a  eurious  people  at  Yin  Leaker.  Before  Svedberg's 
time  Queen  Christina  appointed  Doctor  Baazius.  a  young  man, 
to  the  living.  He  went  down  to  preach  to  his  flock,  and  when 
service  was  over,  he  asked  them  how  they  liked  him.  All 
were  silent.  He  repeated  his  question,  but  received  no  an>wer. 
Again  he  repeated  it.  but  still  there  was  no  response.  Then 
he  said,  M  I  can  easily  see  I  have  not  satisfied  you ;  and  be  it 
M  so.  I  have  been  sent  here  by  my  queen  and  bishop,  else  I 
u  should  not  have  come."  Thereupon  an  old  white-haired  man 
stepped  out  of  the  crowd  and  said,  u  God  be  praised,  you  have 
kk  a  beard;  you  are  welcome  ! n  Baazius  asked  in  amaze,  "What 
M  do  you  want  with  my  beard  ?  "  To  this  the  ancient  peasant 
answered,  u  People  said  you  were  a  child  ;  this  is  no  parish  for 
ki  infants  j  God  be  thanked,  you  have  a  beard;  you  are  welcome. 
u  Give  our  compliments  to  the  queen,  and  thank  her." 

Svedberg,  after  his  appointment  to  Vingaker,  received 
offers  of  two  or  three  other  livings,  which,  because  there  was 
strife  in  one.  and  his  acceptance  of  another  would  evoke  envy, 
he  declined.  His  sudden  rise,  his  restless,  out-spoken,  and 
aggressive  character  inevitably  created  him  many  enemies, 
and  led  him  into  many  difficulties ;  but  in  all  he  conducted 
himself  warily,  and  held  his  own  with  fair  success.  *  The 
4  more,'  he  tells  us,  1 1  had  to  suffer  from  hatred  and  malice, 
1  the  more  I  found  the  grace  and  love  of  God  to  overflow 
1  within  my  heart.' 

When  in  Stockholm  in  the  summer  of  1692,  removing  the 
last  of  his  furniture  to  the  new  house  at  Vingaker,  he  was  sur- 
prised by  a  letter  from  the  King  appointing  him  third  Professor 
of  Theology  at  Upsala.  He  went  straight  to  Charles  and 
pleaded  that  he  might  be  excused  as  he  had  been  quite  unused 
to  college  work  for  full  ten  years.  The  King  insisted  on  his 
compliance  and  Svedberg  yielded,  saying,  M  In  God's  name  it 
I!  cannot  be  helped.  I  shall  do  my  best  and  fly  to  God  for  help; 
*  but  your  Majesty  must  protect  my  back."  M  I  will  do  that," 
said  the  King.    Svedberg  stretched  out  his  hand  saying,  *k  Will 


NEW  TRANSLATION  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


"your  Majesty  give  me  your  hand  as  an  assurance?"  which 
Charles  at  once  cordially  did.  The  King  shewed  him  still 
further  favour,  for  ere  he  had  been  a  month  settled  in  the 
university  he  made  him  rector  of  Upsala  ;  then  his  salary  as 
professor  was  increased ;  the  living  of  Danmnark,  where  he  had 
officiated  when  a  student,  was  presented  to  him;  and  in  1694 
he  was  made  first  Professor  of  Theology  and  Dean  of  Upsala. 

One  of  Svedberg's  fears  about  going  to  Upsala  arose  from 
the  aversion  which  the  high  and  dry  scientific  theologians  who 
dwelt  there  had  to  his  hearty  religion  which  they  scoffed  at  as 
pietism.  They  spread  a  report  through  the  university  that 
1  when  that  pietist,  Svedberg,  comes,  no  student  will  be  allowed 
4  to  wear  a  wig  or  carry  a  sword.'  About  wigs  and  swords  he 
did  not  trouble  himself,  and  the  c  pietist'  proved  quite  a 
favourite  with  the  students.  Other  affairs,  greater  than 
students'  wigs  and  swords,  disturbed  his  peace. 

It  had  been  decided  to  revise  the  Swedish  Bible  and 
improve  the  translation,  and  a  committee  had  been  appointed 
for  that  purpose  in  1686,  and  on  it  Svedberg  was  placed,  on 
the  13th  of  August,  1691.  To  put  Svedberg  on  a  committee 
was  equivalent  to  working  it  at  high  pressure,  and  by  the 
22nd  of  June,  1692,  the  revised  Bible  was  ready.  George 
Burchardt,  a  German  printer,  settled  in  Stockholm,  was 
dispatched  abroad  to  buy  paper,  types,  and  tools  for  its 
production  ;  and  Svedberg,  on  the  King's  guarantee,  supplied 
ready  money  for  the  undertaking  out  of  his  wife's  and  award's 
funds.  Burchardt  returned  with  one  foreman  and  twelve 
printers,  and  a  stock  of  paper  shortly  followed,  which  had  been 
purchased  in  Germany,  Holland,  and  Basle.  Meanwhile  grave 
doubts  had  been  cast  on  the  accuracy  of  the  translation,  and  it 
was  felt  impossible  to  allow  it  to  go  to  press.  Delay  followed 
delay,  and  the  printers  stood  idle,  to  Svedberg's  intense 
mortification  and  loss.  The  new  Bible  did  not  appear  until 
several  years  afterwards,  and  then  with  only  a  few  alterations 
in  orthography. 


12 


A  NEW  PSALM  BOOK. 


Undeterred  by  this  disappointment,  he  entered  on  the 
preparation  af  ■  new  Psalm  Book  with  a  tew  seleet  asso- 
eiates,  who  worked  quietly  together  over  verse  and  mnsie 
until  the  book  was  completed.  It  was  then  submitted  to  the 
church,  passed  through  the  ordeal  of  two  committees,  was 
highly  approved,  and  with  a  tew  changes  and  additions  it 
was  ordered  to  be  printed,  and  in  1094-6  appeared  in 
4to.,  8vo.,  12mo.,  and  lGmo.  Now,  when  moOBM  seemed 
assured,  trouble  began.  No  sooner  was  the  Psalm  Book 
published  than  shrieks  that  its  verse  was  laden  with  pietistic 
heresy  rose  up  through  the  land.  J  Professor  Crispin  Jernfeldt, 
1  of  Dorpat,'  says  Svedberg,  1  a  quarrelsome,  bold,  and  impu- 
k  dent  man,  wrote  a  great  many  scurrilous  observations  on  the 
1  Psalm  Book;  and  his  kinsman,  the  Bishop  of  Westerns,  sided 
1  with  him,  a  prelate  who  had  never  done  anything  to  advance 
1  religion,  but  spent  his  years  in  adding  field  to  Held,  and  had 
1  stored  up  in  his  house  whole  chests  of  gold  and  silver.'  The 
friends  and  foes  of  the  Psalm  Book  fought  for  some  time  with 
varied  success.  Jernfeldt  told  the  King  to  his  faee  that  if  he  did 
not  condemn  the  book,  that  its  heresies  would  cause  a  religious 
war,  whereon  the  King  seized  him  by  the  throat,  and  dashed  him 
against  the  wall.  Jernfeldt  was  taken  ill,  and  in  a  few  days  died, 
and  was  proclaimed  a  martyr  in  the  cause  of  orthodoxy.  The 
upshot  was,  that  after  many  consultations  with  the  bishops  and 
a  general  confession  that  it  was  only  malignity  that  found  heresv 
in  Svedberg's  lines,  the  King  thought  it  politic  to  prohibit  1  the 
i  Svedbergian  Psalm  Book,'  as  it  was  called. 

Burchardt,  the  printer,  between  the  Bible  and  the  Psalm 
Book,  was  rained,  and  relates  Svedberg,  k  was  never  quite  right 
1  in  his  head  afterwards.  I,  too,  lost  much  money,  but  God  com- 
'  pensated  me  with  full  interest  for  all  I  suffered;'  which,  when 
we  think  of  Burchardt,  seems  scarcely  fair.  It  was  at  this  pain- 
ful juncture  that  the  king  made  him  Dean  of  Upsala,  to  his 
intense  delight.  1  It  is  incredible  and  indescribable,'  he  tells  us, 
1  what  consolation  and  peace  are  felt  by  the  servants  of  the  Lord 


THE  HOME  IN  UPSALA. 


13 


'  when  raised  in  a  high  and  holy  calling ;  and  contrariwise  how 
c  down-hearted  they  must  be  who  experience  no  such  elevation/ 
Upsala,  where  Svedberg  now  lived,  was  a  pleasant  city 
of  some  5,000  inhabitants,  set  in  a  wide  undulating  plain,  and 
made  up  of  low-built  houses  of  wood  and  stone,  surrounded 
with  gardens.  In  the  centre  of  the  city  stood  the  grand  cathe- 
dral, esteemed  the  finest  Gothic  building  in  Scandinavia,  where 
Sweden's  kings  of  old  were  crowned,  and  the  bones  of  many 
rested.  Built  around  this  1  beautiful  house  of  God'  in  a 
spacious  square  were  the  university  buildings ;  two  houses  in 
which  Svedberg  owned  as  professor  and  rector.  Here  in  this 
fine  square  our  boy  Emanuel  spent  his  childhood  and  found  his 
playground. 

Besides  lecturing  as  professor,  Svedberg  was  indefatigable 
as  a  preacher  and  pastor.  On  all  Sundays  and  holidays  and  every 
Friday  he  preached,  and  regularly  catechised  the  students  and 
youth  of  the  city.  His  zeal  was  infectious.  1  All  came  willingly 
'  and  joyfully  ;  even  the  parents  came  unasked  and  stimulated 
4  their  children.' 

His  house  we  may  readily  imagine  was  not  a  dull  one  ;  for 
wherever  Svedberg  might  be,  he  was  an  unfailing  source  of  stir 
and  bustle  ;  and  in  addition,  he  had  now  eight  or  nine  children 
to  chase  away  any  remnant  of  priestly  or  learned  gloom  which 
might  linger  within  the  walls  of  an  old  house  in  Upsala  Square. 
There  were  boys,  Albrecht,  Emanuel,  Eliezer  and  Jesper, 
and  Daniel  who  died  in  babyhood ;  and  girls  Anna,  Hedwig, 
Catharina  and  Margaretta.  To  find  room  for  this  large  com- 
pany he  pulled  down  one  of  his  houses  in  the  square,  and  set 
about  rebuilding  it  on  a  more  commodious  scale. 

About  the  names  of  these  his  children  the  Bishop  gossips 
so  pleasantly  that  we  may  listen  to  him  for  a  little. 

1  Moreover,  I  kept  myself  humble,  and  sought  no  sponsors 
L  of  rank  for  my  children  as  many  do.  I  shall  give  the  reasons 
1  why  I  called  my  sons,  Emanuel,  Eliezer  and  Jesper,  and 
*  none  after  their  grandfathers,  or  any  others  of  the  family. 


14 


SVEDBERG  ON  HIS  CHILDREN  S  NAMES. 


4  (Albrecht,  the  eldest,  was  born  during  mv  travels  in  foreign 
4  parts,  and  his  mother  named  him  after  her  father.)  I  do  not 
4  find  in  the  whole  Bible  a  single  case  in  which  children  re- 
4  ceived  the  names  of  their  parents  or  forefathers.  I  will  only 
4  mention  the  patriarch  Jacob  and  King  David.  The  former 
4  had  holy,  celebrated,  glorious  ancestors,  and  he  had  twelve 
'  sons,  not  one  of  whom  was  called  Abraham,  Isaac,  or  Jacob. 
4  King  David  had  also  many  sons,  not  one  of  whom  he  called 
4  Jesse,  or  David.  Solomon  had  also  many  sons,  none  of 
4  whom  he  called  David,  Jesse,  or  Solomon,  and  among  his 
4  numerous  descendants  there  were  many  Kings  and  Princes, 
4  and  not  one  was  called  Solomon,  or  David.  This  good 
4  custom,  however,  had,  before  the  time  of  Christ,  given  way, 
4  as  is  evident  from  the  history  of  John  the  Baptist,  whom  at 
4  first  they  wished  to  name  after  his  father  Zacharias,  |  Luke 
4  i.  59)  which  is  a  noble  and  significant  name,  memoria  do?niui\ 
4  in  order  that  he  might  be  ever  mindful  of  the  Lord. 

4  Hereby,  I  by  no  means  presume  to  censure  those,  who 
4  call  their  children  after  their  own  names ;  yet  I  hope  and 
4  expect  that  nobody  will  blame  my  manner  since  I  have  the 
4  Bible  and  the  examples  of  many  Saints  on  my  side.  I  have 
4  the  full  conviction,  that  only  such  names  should  be  given  to 
4  children  as  may  awaken  in  them  the  fear  of  God,  and  keep 
4  them  mindful  of  propriety  and  virtue ;  and  not,  as  many 
4  thoughtless  parents  do,  give  improper  names  to  their  children, 
4  forgetting  the  answer  which  a  bad  name  enabled  the  prudent 
4  Abigail  to  give  to  King  David  concerning  her  husband 
4  Xabal,  (which  means  in  Hebrew  4  folly').  4  Let  not  my 
4  Lord,  I  pray  thee,  set  his  heart  against  this  man  of  Belial, 
4  even  Xabal :  for  as  his  name  is,  so  is  he  ;  Xabal  is  his  name, 
4  and  folly  is  with  him. 

4  Eliezer,  my  son's  name,  signifies  1  God  is  my  help and 
4  God  has  been  his  friend  and  has  graciously  helped  him.  He 
4  was  a  pious  child,  made  good  progress,  and  was  called  home 
4  bv  a  happy  death  in  the  2oth  year  of  his  age. 


THE  BOY  EMANUEL'S  THOUGHTS. 


15 


4  Jesper,  my  youngest  son,  was  called  after  me  merely 
4  because  he  was  born  on  the  same  day,  and  in  the  same  hour, 
4  as  myself,  who  first  saw  the  light  of  the  world  on  the  28th  of 
4  August,  1653. 

'Iain  a  Sunday  child,  and  my  wife,  the  mother  of  my 
4  children,  was  also  a  Sunday  child,  and  all  my  children  are 
4  Sunday  children,  except  Catharina,  who  was  born  at  Upsala 
4  on  the  3rd  day  of  Easter. 

4 1  have  never  had  my  daughters  in  Stockholm,  where 
4  many  reside  in  order  to  learn  fine  manners,  but  where  they 
4  also  learn  much  that  is  worldly  and  hurtful  to  the  soul.' 

Emanuel,  writing  long  afterwards  in  his  old  age  to  Dr. 
Beyer  in  1769,  describes  his  thoughts  in  these  Upsala  years  : — 

4  With  regard  to  what  passed  in  the  earliest  part  of  my 
4  life,  about  which  you  wish  to  be  informed :  from  my  fourth  to 
4  my  tenth  year,  my  thoughts  were  constantly  engrossed  in 
4  reflecting  on  God,  on  Salvation,  and  on  the  Spiritual  Affec- 
4  tions  of  Man.  I  often  revealed  things  in  my  discourse  which 
4  filled  my  parents  with  astonishment,  and  made  them  declare 
4  at  times,  that  certainly  the  Angels  spoke  through  my  mouth. 

4  From  my  sixth  to  my  twelfth  year,  it  was  my  greatest 
4  delight  to  converse  with  the  Clergy  concerning  Faith;  to 
4  whom  I  often  observed  that  Charity  or  Love  is  the  Life  of 
4  Faith,  and  that  this  quickening  Charity  or  Love  is  no  other 
4  than  the  Love  of  one's  neighbour ;  that  God  vouchsafes  this 
4  Faith  to  every  one ;  but,  that  no  one  obtains  it  unless  he 
4  practises  that  Charity. 

4  I  knew  no  other  belief,  at  that  time,  than  that  God  is  the 
4  Creator  and  Preserver  of  Xature  ;  that  He  gives  men  under- 
4  standing,  good  inclinations,  and  other  gifts  derived  from  these. 

4  I  knew  nothing,  at  that  time,  of  the  systematic  or  dog- 
4  matic  kind  of  Faith  which  teaches  that  God  the  Father  imputes 
4  the  righteousness  or  merits  of  the  Son  to  whomsoever,  and  at 
4  whatsoever  time  He  wills,  even  to  the  impenitent :  and  had  I 


16 


TOUNG  KMANTKl/s  THEOLOGY. 


1  heard  of  such  a  faith,  it  would  have  been  then,  as  BOW,  quite 
1  unintelligible  to  me.' 

Writing  about  the  .same  time  of  the  Trinity,  and  opposing 
the  notion  of  there  being  three  persons,  or  three  gods,  in  tin* 
Godhead,  he  remarks  : — 

'  From  my  earliest  years  I  could  never  admit  into  my  mind 
c  the  idea  of  more  gods  than  one  ;  and  I  have  always  received, 
1  and  do  still  retain,  the  idea  of  one  God  alone.'* 

A  precocious  child,  indeed,  and  badly  instructed  for  a  Pro- 
testant clergyman's  son  !  some  will  exclaim. 

As  to  the  precocity,  we  must  remember  that  the  Bible  and 
theology  were  the  perpetual  talk  of  his  father's  house ;  that 
he,  his  brothers  and  sisters,  almost  lived  in  the  Church,  and 
were  daily  hearing  or  talking  about  sermons ;  that  they  were 
constantly  under  interrogation  as  to  what  they  read  and  learned; 
and  that  Emanuel's  thoughts  were  still  further  stimulated  by 
the  admiration  which  heard  the  Angels  speak  in  his  utterances. 

Into  these  memories  of  his  childhood  Swedenborg  inserts 
the  doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  of  his  prime.  Unques- 
tionably that  doctrine  was  rooted  in  his  young  thoughts;  but  we 
are  not  to  believe  that  he  delivered  it  in  stiff  phrases  about  1  the 
L  Spiritual  Affections  of  Man,1  telling  the  clergy  that  1  Charity 
1  or  Love  is  the  Life  of  Faith,'  and  that  *  God  vouchsafes  this 
'  Faith  alone  to  those  who  love  their  neighbours,'  and  so  on. 
When  he  wrote  out  these  recollections  he  had  forgotten  how 
children  talk,  and  although  we  may  find  in  them  the  matter  of 
his  young  thought  we  need  not  suppose  that  he  reproduced 
the  manner. 

To  childhood  the  deepest  questions  of  life  present  them- 
selves bodily,  and  we  esteem  that  manhood  happy  which  is 
able  to  unravel  and  understand  some  members  thereof.  I 
know  a  child,  who  is  now  wondering  why  God  does  not  kill 
the  Devil  ?  That  little  boy  may  live  to  four  score,  and  become 
learned  in  all  the  lore  of  the  universities,  but  his  skill  will  be 
*   Vera  f'Jiri»tiana  ReUgin.  No.  16,  published  1771. 


HIS  MOTHER   AND   BROTHER   A  L  BR  EC  II T  DIE. 


17 


thought  great  if  he  can  demonstrate  in  a  few  case* — Why  the 
Divine  Wisdom  suffers  error,  sin,  disease  and  pain  to  exist ;  or 
in  other  words,  Why  God  does  not  kill  the  Devil. 

It  must  be  allowed  that  after  the  fashion  of  thought,  which 
is  commonly  esteemed  pure  Protestantism,  Svedberg  and  his 
household  were  far  from  orthodox.  Emanuel's  creed  certainly 
was  not  sound,  and  he  suffered  no  rebuke  for  heresy;  but  con- 
trariwise was  listened  to  as  a  voice  from  Heaven. 

About  Emanuel  there  was  a  strange  peculiarity  in  his 
respiration.  He  could  hold  his  breath  for  a  long  time  without 
any  sense  of  suffocation.  When  on  his  knees  at  morning  and 
evening  prayers,  and  when  absorbed  in  thought,  the  action  of 
his  lungs  became  suspended  or  tacit,  as  is  the  case  with  one 
in  a  trance.  This  fact  should  be  noted ;  as  it  will  re-appear 
with  important  consequence  in  the  sequel  of  our  narrative. 

The  summer  1696  was  a  sad  one  in  the  home  in  Upsala 
Square.  On  the  17th  of  June,  Svedberg's  wife  died,  leaving 
him  a  widower  with  eight  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was 
not  yet  twelve. 

Of  her  Svedberg  writes :  {  Although  she  was  the  daughter 
1  of  an  Assessor,  and  the  wife  of  a  Rector  in  Upsala,  and  of  a 
i  wealthy  family,  she  never  dressed  extravagantly.  As  every 
4  woman  in  those  days  wore  a  sinful  and  troublesome  fontange 
i  or  top-knot,  she  was  obliged  to  do  as  others  did  and  wear  it : 
1  but  hearing  that  a  cow  in  the  island  of  Gothland  had,  with 
'  great  labour  and  pitiable  bellowing,  brought  forth  a  calf  with 
i  a  top-knot,  she  took  her  own  and  her  girls'  hoods  and  threw 
1  them  all  into  the  fire ;  and  she  made  a  vow  that  she  and  her 
1  daughters,  as  long  as  they  were  under  her  authority,  should 
4  never  more  put  such  things  on  their  heads.' 

Sorrow  was  not  exhausted  in  the  loss  of  the  wife  and 
mother.  Ere  six  weeks  had  elapsed,  Albrecht,  on  the  27th  of 
July,  fell  sick  and  died.  As  he  lay  on  his  death-bed,  Svedberg 
asked  him  what  he  should  do  in  Heaven.  "  I  will  pray  for  thee, 
u  dear  father,  and  for  my  brothers  and  sisters,"  was  his  answer. 

c 


18 


LAST  DAYS  OF  KINO  CHARLES  XL 


Svedberg  pondered  these  words  of  Albreeht  in  his  heart. 
They  confirmed  him  in  his  belief  that  death  effects  ne  division 
of  Souls,  and  that  intercourse  and  service  are  possible  between 
Angels  and  Men.  Moved  by  this  thought,  he  composed  an 
epitaph  on  his  wife  and  son,  commending  himself  and  his 
children  to  their  prayers.  No  sooner  was  it  set  up,  than  an 
outcr\-  was  raised,  that  Professor  Svedberg  had  turned  Papist, 
and  had  taken  to  the  invocation  of  Saints.  The  tale  was 
carried  to  the  King,  and  into  his  presence  Svedberg  fallowed 
it.  u  Do  you  not  believe,"  Svedberg  asked,  u  that  the  late 
M  Queen,  your  wife,  prays  for  you  and  your  children  in  the 
u  Kingdom  of  Heaven*?'*  He  desired  the  King  that  he  might 
be  allowed  to  illustrate  and  defend  his  doctrine  in  a  public 
discourse,  but  Charles  knowing  the  mischievous  and  useless 
controversy  he  woidd  excite,  repressed  his  ardour,  and  hushed 
up  the  scandal. 

In  the  spring  of  1697  Charles  XI.  died,  leaving  a  settled 
and  powerful  kingdom,  a  full  treasury,  and  able  ministers, 
to  his  son  Charles  XII.,  then  a  boy  of  fifteen.  Charles 
XI.  is  reputed  to  have  been  a  harsh  king.  He  ruled,  there 
seems  no  doubt,  with  a  severe  will,  taking  lands  from  the 
nobles,  which  he  said  they  had  alienated  from  the  crown,  and 
effecting  other  changes  in  the  state,  which  while  they  appear 
to  have  conduced  to  the  general  welfare  of  his  people,  caused 
much  private  suffering.  To  Svedberg  he  was  ever  friendly 
and  accessible.  Shortly  before  his  death  he  said  to  him :  M  I 
M  have  ruled  in  Sweden  three  and  twenty  years.  When  I  first 
"  became  King  I  trusted  everybody;  now  I  trust  nobody."  To 
which  Svedberg  replied,  u  That  is  not  right.  To  trust  every - 
M  body  is  foolish,  for  there  are  many  wicked  and  silly  people.'" 
u  The  world  is  full  of  them,"  interposed  Charles.  M  But  to 
"  trust  nobody,"  continued  Svedberg,  u  is  very  bad,  for  there 
"  are  many  good,  honest  and  wise  men.''  a  Ah,  it  is  now  too 
u  late!"  said  the  King. 


(    19  ) 


CHAPTER  III. 


BVEDBERG'S  SECOND  MARRIAGE;   LAST  DAYS  AT 
UPSALA:   AND  BISHOPRIC. 


SyedberCt  found  he  could  not  get  on  without  a  wife.  The 
story  of  his  second  courtship  he  must  tell  for  himself.  The 
lady  was  the  daughter  of  a  clergyman,  and  had  been  twice 
a  widow  before  Svedberg  fancied  her ;  having  been  married 
first  to  a  merchant,  and  then  to  a  judge. 

4  On  St.  Andrew's  day,  1697,  I  celebrated,  in  a  blessed 

*  hour,  my  wedding  with  my  second  most  beloved  wife,  Mrs. 
1  Sara  Bergia.  I  was  not  acquainted  with  her  before  ;  I  had 
1  never  seen  her,  and  did  not  know  that  she  existed.  I  was 
1  unexpectedly  informed  of  her  piety,  meekness,  liberality  to  the 

*  poor,  and  that  she  was  well  off,  good  looking,  a  thrifty  house- 
'  wife,  and  had  no  family  ;  in  a  word,  she  seemed  a  woman 
4  who  would  suit  me  well.  I  wrote  to  her  and  laid  bare  my 
'  thoughts,  and  she  acceded  to  my  request.  Two  days  before 
L  the  wedding  I  went  to  Stockholm,  whither  she  also,  by  agree- 
L  ment,  repaired.  I  was  put  into  a  room  where  she  was  sitting 
i  aloue,  but  I  did  not  know  and  never  imagined  it  was  she,  for 
1  no  one  had  told  me.  I  sat  down  beside  her.  "We  conversed 
4  for  a  long  time  about  sundry  matters,  I  talking  to  her  as  a 
1  perfect  stranger.  At  length  she  said,  M  What  do  you  think  of 
4  u  our  bargain,  Mr.  Professor?"  I  replied,  u  What  bargain  do 
4  u  you  refer  to  ?"  M  That  which  you  have  written  about,"  she 
4  said.  u  What  have  I  written  to  you  about  ?  I  do  not  know 
4  u  what  you  mean  }"  I  answered.  u  Are  we  not,''  she  said,  "  to 
4  44  be  man  and  wife  to-morrow*?''  "Are  vou  that  person  !"  I 
4  exclaimed,  and  then  we  jumped  up  and  confirmed  our  friend- 
1  ship  by  shaking  hands,  and  with  a  loving  embrace." 

r  2 


20 


A  HOUSE  WARM  INC. 


At  the  end  of  the  autumn  of  1698  his  new  stone  house  in 
Upsala  Square  was  completed.  Speaking  of  its  erection  he 
says :  4  I  was  constantly  watching  it,  and  am  sure  and  can 
4  truly  affirm  that  no  hewing  was  done,  and  no  stone  set  in  its 
'  place  with  groans  and  unwilling  minds,  but  all  was  carried  on 
4  with  diligence  and  joy.  No  noise  was  heard,  no  squabbles, 
4  no  reyiling,  no  curses.'  His  house-wanning  was  characteristic. 
He  inyited  all  that  could  leave  the  hospital,  and  the  paupers  of 
Upsala.  He  feasted  them,  and  he,  his  wife  and  children  waited 
upon  them  at  table.  k  Everything  passed  off  decently,  and 
4  the  day  was  wound  up  with  song,  prayers,  and  mutual  hies— 
4  ings.'  He  obeyed  his  Lord's  words,  4  When  thou  makest  a 
4  dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy  brethren, 
4  neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich  neighbours;  lest  they  bid 
4  thee  again,  and  a  recompense  be  made  thee.  But  when  thou 
4  makest  a  feast,  call  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind  : 
4  and  thou  shalt  be  blessed ;  for  they  cannot  recompense  thee  : 
4  but  thou  shalt  be  recompensed  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just.' 

Presuming  on  the  youth  of  Charles  XII..  three  rulers,  the 
King  of  Denmark,  Peter  the  Czar  of  Russia,  and  the  King 
of  Poland  conspired  to  plunder  Sweden  of  yarious  out-lying 
territories.  They  little  imagined  the  energies  hidden  in  the 
Boy  King,  and  the  terrible  disasters  their  craft  would  draw 
upon  them.  They  proyoked  Charles  to  war,  and  in  war  Charles 
found  the  exercise  and  delight  of  his  whole  nature — "the 
44  whistle  of  bullets  shall  henceforth  be  my  music,"  he  said ; 
and  from  that  time,  for  nearly  twenty  years,  to  the  end  of  his 
life,  northern  Europe  scarcely  knew  a  year  of  peace. 

Military  glory  is  the  most  expensive  thing  in  the  world, 
and  Charles's  wars  pinched  poor  Sweden  dreadfully.  The 
Clergy  were  used  to  pay  one-tenth  of  their  incomes  in  taxes, 
but  the  King  now  demanded  a  second  tenth.  An  exaction  like 
this  was  felt  Very  keenly,  and  some  of  the  Clergy  laid  their 
complaint  before  the  Chapter  of  Upsala.  The  Archbishop,  a 
gentle  timid  man,  said  the  Clergy  ought  really  to  suffer  quietly. 


THE  KING  SPARES  TlIE  CLKEGY. 


21 


and  wait  for  better  times,  and  not  embarrass  the  King  when 
he  was  preparing  for  war.  At  this  speech  up  rose  Svedberg 
and  replied,  that  if  the  Clergy  songht  unfair  relief,  they  ought  to 
be  admonished ;  but  if  fair,  the  Chapter  had  no  other  choice 
than  to  lay  their  case  before  the  King.  u  Well,"  said  the  other 
members  of  the  Chapter,  wt  if  you  are  bold  enough,  you  had 
"  better  go  and  see  the  King."  "Bold  I  am,"  replied  Svedberg, 
uwhen  duty  prompts.  Give  me  authority,  and  I  will  go  to 
u  the  King,  confiding  in  God."  His  offer  was  at  once  accepted. 

He  started  off  to  see  Charles,  and  found  him  at  Kungsdr. 
He  arrived  on  a  Saturday,  and  found  all  busy  preparing  for  a 
masquerade  on  Sunday.  *•  Cannot  you  preach  the  masquerade 
uout  of  the  head  of  the  King  and  his  suite?"  he  asked  the 
astonished  clergyman  of  the  place.  fc*  Since  you  cannot,  then 
u  I  will  try."  On  Sunday,  Svedberg  occupied  the  pulpit,  and 
delivered  a  sermon  with  his  accustomed  plainness  and  warmth 
against  1  the  profanation  of  the  Sabbath  by  such  sports.'  w  I 
u  fear,"  said  he,  u  if  the  masquerade  go  on.  Sweden  will  never 
"  forget  the  bloody  shirts  that  will  come  out  of  this  war."  To 
his  joy,  the  masquerade  was  abandoned ;  whereon  he  remarks, 
c  A  zealous  Samuel  or  Nathan  is  a  means  of  welfare  to  anv 
4  kingdom,  whilst  a  smooth-tongued  Uriah  works  no  end  of  evil." 

Svedberg  sent  his  petition  to  the  King,  writing  under  his 
name,  1  Moses,  xlvii.  22.  "  What  does  that  mean  '?*'  said 
Charles.  "It  will  be  his  cypher,"  said  Count  Piper.  Some 
one  looked  at  a  Bible  and  read :  i  Only  the  land  of  the  Priests 
4  bought  Joseph  not ;  for  the  Priests  had  a  portion  assigned 
1  them  by  Pharoah,  and  did  eat  their  portion  which  Pharoah 
4  gave  them :  wherefore  they  sold  not  their  lands.  *  Then  said 
Charles,  "  Let  the  Clergy  alone,  and  let  them  be  taxed  no 
u  more  than  before."  With  this  decision,  Svedberg  returned  in 
triumph  to  his  brethren  in  Upsala. 

His  connection  with  Upsala  came  to  an  end  in  the  May  of 
1702 ;  his  years  of  service  in  the  city  and  university  he  speaks 
of  with  much  satisfaction : — '  During  the  ten  years  I  spent 


22 


U  PSA  LA  IN  FLAMES. 


4  in  Upsala,  God  favoured  me  so  much  that  there  was  nothing 
4  but  peace  and  goodwill  among  the  teachers  and  students, 
1  although  before  Upsala  had  been  a  place  of  strife  and  bitter- 
4  ness.'  Strangely  enough,  on  the  17th  of  May,  a  few  days 
before  he  received  notice  of  removal  to  a  higher  sphere,  his 
houses  were  burnt  down.  A  great  fire  broke  out,  swept 
round  Upsala-squarc,  and  laid  the  cathedral  in  ruins.  All  his 
furniture  and  books  were  saved  4  by  the  matchless  love  and 
4  daring  of  the  students.'  Two  days  after,  he  wrote  at  great 
length  to  the  Princess  Ulrika  Eleonora,  in  the  absence  of  the 
King,  describing  the  fire  and  praying  for  relief  for  the  sufferers. 
The  cause  of  the  disaster  he  ascribes  to  4  the  huge  sins  of  the 
4  people,'  and  can  plainly  discern  therein  4  the  Lord's  cruel  fire 
4  of  wrath ;'  to  preaching  and  threatening  the  people  are  in- 
different, therefore  4  God  preaches  to  us  in  this  horrible  fire.' 
His  own  loss  he  reckons  trifling,  4  if  only  the  beautiful  house 
4  of  the  Lord  had  been  allowed  to  stand;  a  house  which  was  the 
4  glory  of  Sweden,  and  in  which  many  of  Sweden's  potentates 
4  had  found  rest  for  their  bones.'  He  owns  that  in  time  <>t'  war 
it  is  hard  to  afford  means  of  help,  4  but  the  money  squandered 
4  on  play-actors  in  Stockholm  might  well  be  put  to  better  pur- 
4  poses.'  He  ends  in  asking  the  throne  4  to  take  pity  on  a 
4  shepherd  of  a  miserable  flock  wailing  in  ashes,'  and  subscribes 
himself,  4Jesper  Svedberg,  a  very  greatly  afflicted  curer  of 
4  souls.' 

The  woes  of  Upsala  were  ministered  to,  though  happily 
not  at  the  cost  of  the  play-actors,  and  en  the  L}l>t  of  May 
Svedberg  was  appointed  Bishop  of  Skara  by  Charles  XII.  in 
a  letter  dated  from  Praga,  near  Warsaw.  Writing  of  his 
elevation,  he  says  : — 4  It  was  wholly  unexpected.  I  can  say 
4  with  a  clear  conscience  before  God,  who  knows  all,  that  I 
4  never  asked  for  it,  or  opened  my  mouth  about  it,  or  took  a 
4  step  to  get  it ;  and  still  less  paid  one  farthing ;  for  I  have 
4  always  been  an  enemy  to  runners  and  buyers.' 

As  soon  M  he  was  settled  at  Brunsbo,  the  seat  of  the 


EPISCOPAL  LABOURS  AND  DIFFICULTIES. 


21) 


bishops  of  Skara,  he  set  out  on  a  visit  to  every  priest  in  his 
diocese,  and  repeated  the  circuit  yearly,  making  his  hand  felt 
in  the  remotest  nooks  and  corners.  He  established  a  printing 
office  in  Skara,  and  employed  it  chiefly  in  printing  his  sermons, 
tracts,  and  books.  His  fame  abroad  caused  the  Swedish  con- 
gregations in  London,  Lisbon,  and  N.  America  to  appoint 
him  their  bishop.  To  America  he  shipped  again  and  again 
large  numbers  of  his  condemned  Psalm  Book,  which  was  freely 
used  in  public  worship  by  the  Swedes  there.  Missions  to  the 
heathen  he  ardently  longed  to  set  on  foot,  but  was  met  with 
little  but  apathy.  He  succeeded,  however,  in  sending  a  few 
clergymen  to  the  American  Indians,  and  for  his  efforts  and 
goodwill  the  English  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  elected  him  one  of  their  members. 

The  bishopric  of  Skara  did  not  in  the  least  buy  off  Sved- 
berg's  importunities,  or  make  him  a  bit  more  courtly.  Charles's 
wild  and  terrible  wars  every  year  pinched  Sweden  harder  and 
harder  in  men  and  money.  As  a  proof  of  the  extremity  to 
which  he  was  reduced,  he  issued  a  decree  that  every  rector  of 
a  parish  should  fit  out  a  dragoon,  and  every  curate  a  foot 
soldier.  This  Svedberg  thought  a  cruel  infliction,  and  he  says, 
4 1  took  courage  unto  myself,  and,  seeking  the  help  of  God,  sat 
4  down  and  wrote  to  Charles  XII. ,  then  in  Poland,  a  mightily 
L  serious  and  powerful  letter,  dated  21st  Dec,  1705.'  He  told 
the  King  that  the  Clergy  were  as  willing  as  any  of  his  people 
to  help  him  to  their  utmost  in  his  wars,  and  they  only  desired  to 
be  dealt  with  equitably  ;  but  the  equipment  of  dragoons  and 
soldiers  they  found  intolerable.    '  If  the  least  thing  is  wanting 

*  in  their  accoutrements,  a  clergyman  has  to  hear  and  swallow 
1  hard  words,  scoffs  and  snubbing  at  the  mustering  table,  whilst 
i  peasants  and  others  stand  by  grinning  and  shewing  their  white 

*  teeth.  Hence  the  priesthood  is  brought  into  contempt,  the 
L  Holy  Ghost  is  angered,  and  pastors  lose  control  over  their 
i  flocks.'  He  then  describes  how  pitilessly  the  men  servants 
of  parsons  are  carried  off  for  soldiers,  so  that  they  have  to 


24  PROTECTS  II 18  CLERGY  FKo.M  KXTORTION. 


gather  sticks  in  the  woods,  plough,  thresh  com,  clean  out 
stables,  and  perforin  other  menial  services.  4 1  have  lliywJf 
4  seen  grev-headed  servants  of  the  Lord  driving  oxen  at  the 

*  plough  until  they  dropped  down  with  fatigue,  and  remained 
4  lying  on  the  ground.  The  Clergy  are  forced  to  think  more  of 
4  guns,  swords,  and  carbines,  than  of  the  word  of  God,  and  have 
'to  waste  their  time  in  galloping  about  to  musterings  and 
L  reviews.    Poor  curates  cannot  boy  the  books  their  duties 

*  require  ;  they  have  no  decent  broad-cloth  coats  and  cloaks, 
i  but  go  about  in  plain  home-spun  |  and  some  have  had  to 
i  borrow  money  at  usury,  and  even  to  sell  their  Bibles  in 
1  order  to  rig  out  a  soldier.'  Ho  then  reminds  the  King  of  his 
pious  childhood,  of  the  help  God  has  given  him  in  battle,  even 
as  He  did  to  heroes  of  old,  like  Joshua,  Gideon  and  David, 
and  quotes  Ezra  vii.  24 — 'Also  we  certify  you,  that  touching 
1  any  of  the  Priests  and  Levites,  singers,  porters,  Nethenims, 
4  or  ministers  of  this  house  of  God.  it  shall  not  be  lawful  to 
i  impose  toll,  tribute  or  custom  upon  them praying  him  to 
exempt  in  like  manner  the  Lord's  priests  from  recruiting  and 
equipping  dragoons  and  soldiers ;  for  he  may  be  assured  that 
men  so  provided  can  never  come  to  any  luck  in  battle. 

This  letter  he  read  to  the  Chapter  of  Skara  and  asked  them 
to  sign  it,  but  they  demurred,  fearing  to  give  offence  to  the 
King.  u  What  have  we  to  fear?"  he  pleaded :  "we  can  be 
u  no  worse  than  snubbed,  ami  that  will  be  the  end  of  it.''  After 
much  persuasion  the  whole  Chapter  signed  the  letter. 

Charles  wrote  home  to  afford  the  Clorgv  whatever  relief 
was  possible,  but  as  all  the  Clergy  were  not  led  on  by  con- 
summate grumblers  like  Svedberg,  nothing  was  taken  from 
their  burdens.  He  had  two  dragoon-  sa  l-lied  on  him,  although 
by  order  of  the  King  he  was  exempt,  being  a  sufferer  by  die 
Upsala  fire.  1  But,'  says  he,  1  I  paid  and  said  nothing,  for 
4  charity  beareth  all  things,  and  seeketh  not  her  own.' 

There  is  a  good  story  told  of  Rishop  Svedbergs  credoKty, 
but  like  too  many  good  <torie-  it  i<  probably  a  fiction.  Pray- 


C  ASTS  OUT  DEVILS. 


25 


ing  alone  one  evening  in  a  church  a  young  man  called  to  him 
from  aloft ,  u  Svedberg,  to-morrow  thou  shalt  die."  He  heard 
the  voice  as  that  of  an  Angel,  and  went  home  and  solemnly 
made  preparation  for  his  death. 

He  himself  gives  several  accounts  of  exorcism  and  cures  he 
effected.  '  There  was  brought  to  me  at  Starbo  a  maid-servant 
4  named  Kerstin,  possessed  with  Devils  in  mind  and  body.  I 
4  caused  her  to  kneel  down  with  me  and  pray,  and  then  I  read 
4  over  her,  and  she  arose  well  and  hearty,  and  quite  delivered. 
1  Three  years  after,  Keratin  came  to  Brunsbo  and  entered  my 
1  service.  One  day  she  quarrelled  with  a  fellow-servant,  and 
'  went  out  threatening  to  commit  suicide  by  suffocation  in  a 
1  kiln.  I  was  writing  in  my  study,  and  felt  restless  and  anxious, 
4  and  thoughts  of  Kerstin  without  cause  kept  flashing  across  my 
4  mind.  At  last  I  could  bear  it  no  longer,  and  I  went  into  the 
1  kitchen  and  asked,  "  Where  is  Kerstin  ?  "  "  O,"  said  her 
4  neighbour,  "  she  has  not  been  here  for  some  time  ;  she  went 
1  "  out,  saying  she  would  go  to  the  kiln  and  choke  herself."  I 
4  ran  to  the  kiln  and  found  Kerstin  lying  in  the  smoke  senseless. 
4  She  was  carried  into  the  house,  and  put  in  a  bed  like  a  piece 
4  of  wood.  Then,  after  a  while,  I  called  to  her  in  a  loud  voice, 
1  Wake  up,  and  arise  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ !"  Imme- 
1  diately  she  recovered,  got  up,  and  commenced  to  talk.  Then 
4 1  strengthened  her  with  the  Word  of  God,  and  gave  her  a 
4  good  deal  of  Rhenish  wine ;  after  which  she  went  about  her 
4  duties  as  usual.' 

Again  he  tells  us  4  there  was  a  rumour  spread  about  me  in 
1  Holland,  England,  and  elsewhere,  in  1712-13,  that  I  had 
1  driven  out  the  Devil  through  a  little  hole  in  the  window,  who 
1  had  come  to  me  in  the  shape  of  an  officer,  and  argued  with 
4  me  about  the  state  of  Sweden,  and  how  the  war  would  end. 
1  Perhaps  it  grew  out  of  this  true  occurrence  : — There  was  at 
4  Skara,  in  the  parish  of  Henda,  a  woman  who,  for  her  terrible 
1  crimes,  was  to  be  executed.  She  would  not  confess,  and,  after 
4  a  chaplain  had  laboured  with  her  long  and  without  effect,  she 


26 


WORKS  A  CUBE. 


4  was  brought  to  me  at  Brunsbo  under  guard.   I  took  her  into 

*  my  study,  and  there  spoke  to  her  the  Word  of  God  in  the  best 
4  way  I  could,  and  in  the  most  moving  manner ;  and  at  la.st 
4  brought  her  to  confess  all,  and  more  than  she  was  accused  of, 
4  and  to  repent  sincerely.  I  assured  her,  by  virtue  of  my  office, 
4  that  she  was  pardoned,  and  on  the  following  day  she  bravely 
4  met  her  fate.    Glory  to  God  alone  ! 

4  In  the  year  1699,  when  I  was  at  Starbo,  one  of  my 
4  servants  had  a  dreadful  pain  in  her  elbow.  It  was  much 
4  swollen  and  nothing  we  applied  did  it  any  good,  and  for  davs 
4  and  nights  she  went  about  moaning  without  rest  or  sleep.  At 
4  midnight  she  came  to  the  room  where  I  was  lying  asleep  with 
4  my  beloved  wife,  and  prayed  that  I  would  for  the  sake  of 
4  Christ  take  away  her  pain,  or  she  must  go  and  kill  herself.  I 
4  rose,  touched  her  arm,  and  commanded  the  pain  in  the  name 
4  of  Jesus  Christ  to  depart,  and  in  a  moment  the  one  arm  was 
4  well  as  the  other.    Glory  to  God  alone  ! 1 

Svedberg  was  less  a  theologian  than  a  zealous  spiritual  man 
of  business.  Merely  speculative  and  verbal  theology  he  abhorred 
as  4  Devil  Faith,'  and  thought  4  a  man  might  hold  any  quan- 
4  tity  of  it,  and  yet  it  could  not  keep  him  from  sinking  into 

*  Hell.'  Preaching  and  catechising,  writing  and  printing  were 
his  passion,  and  he  kept  stirring  up  his  Clergy  to  similar 
labours.  Repose  he  knew  not.  4  Never,!  he  writes,  4  was 
4  miser  more  covetous  of  money  than  I  have  been  of  time.  I 
4  have  never  willingly  wasted  an  hour,  and  when  others  have 
4  done  so  for  me,  great  has  been  my  indignation  and  pain.' 
Again,  he  says,  4  A  bishop  has  far  more  to  do  than  sit  in 
4  his  Chapter,  and  be  bowed  to,  and  consecrate  priests,  preach 
4  funeral  sermons  for  big  fees,  travel  from  house  to  house  in 
4  pleasant  weather,  and  look  out  fat  places  for  his  own  chil- 
4  dren  and  grandchildren."  We  can  well  believe  him  when  he 
4  tells  us,  '  My  greatest  difficulty,  as  bishop,  has  been  to  till 
4  vacancies  with  able  and  faithful  clergymen.   In  Sweden  it  has 

4  come  to  be  thought  that  any  young  man,  who  has  gone  through 


HOW  HE  EXEKCISED  EPISCOPAL  PATRONAGE. 


27 


1  the  regular  university  course,  is  fit  to  minister  for  God,  and 

I  that  no  bishop  dare  refuse  him.  I  have  suffered  much  because 

I I  would  not  promote  to  livings,  at  the  desire  of  noblemen  and 
1  ladies.  To  such  an  extent  has  this  been  the  case,  that  scarcely 
1  a  vacancy  in  my  diocese  has  been  filled  up  without  drawing 
1  upon  me  the  enmity  of  some  lady  or  gentleman,  count  or 
1  countess,  general  or  colonel,  governor  and  I  do  not  know  of 
1  whom  besides,  because  I  would  not  do  them  a  good  turn  by 
1  providing  some  minion  with  a  place.'  When  he  felt  the 
claims  of  candidates  so  equally  balanced  that  he  could  not 
decide,  he  drew  lots  after  the  manner  of  the  Apostles. 

In  illustration  of  the  scrupulous  way  in  which  he  exer- 
cised his  episcopal  patronage,  and  at  the  same  time,  of  his  tact, 
take  this  anecdote :  One  day  at  Court,  the  Princess  Ulrika 
Eleonora  kindly  enquired  concerning  the  welfare  of  his  wife 
and  children.  "  I  have  a  daughter  here,"  he  said,  "  and  also 
"  her  husband,  Jonas  Unge.  Will  you  graciously  permit 
"them  to  come  into  your  presence?"  "  Yes,  willingly,  by 
"  all  means,"  she  replied.  "  What  living  has  he?"  she  asked. 
"  He  is  my  assistant."  "Assistant,  do  you  say?"  "Yes, 
"  your  Highness,  he  has  the  misforune  to  be  my  son-in-law, 
"  for  otherwise  he  should  have  had  a  living  long  ago,  for  he  is 
"  a  learned,  travelled  and  able  man."  She  then  asked  if  no 
suitable  living  in  her  gift  was  vacant,  and  Wanga  was  named. 
"  Let  him  first  preach  before  your  Highness,  and  try  his 
"  quality,"  interposed  Svedberg.  This  she  allowed,  and  he 
got  the  living  at  Wanga,  and  the  promise  of  a  better  as  soon 
as  a  better  became  vacant. 

His  tithes  he  never  exacted.  What  was  brought  he  took 
thankfully,  but  would  not  go  to  law  with  defaulters.  Yet  he 
condemned  none  of  his  brother  prelates  who  saw  fit  to  act 
differently  ;  but  sometimes  dryly  remarked  that  he  had  abun- 
dantly seen  the  truth  of  an  old  saying,  1  There  is  no  end  to 
*  the  love  of  God  and  the  greed  of  priests.' 

i  I  have  never  refused  or  denied  any  one  his  right.  I  have 


28 


SVEDBEBGt'fl  REFORMING  TEMPER. 


4  willingly  taken  up  the  cause  of  the  poor  and  oppressed.  No 
i  one,  however  humble,  has  stood  waiting  at  my  door,  but  lias 
'  been  called  in  at  once  to  my  presence  and  got  an  answer, 
1  and  his  case  discussed  at  the  next  Chapter.  For  these 
1  purposes  the  Most  High  has  made  us  bishops,  not  to  strut 
i  in  our  dignity,  and  have  people  bowing  and  curtseying  to 
1  us ;  but  to  hear  and  assist  every  one  to  the  full  extent  of  our 
'  power.' 

Svedberg  had  a  reforming  temper,  which  worked  towards 
its  ends  unchecked  by  apathy,  and  invigorated  by  opposition. 
The  care  of  the  poor  occupied  much  of  his  thought,  and  he 
strove  hard  to  put  down  begging  by  regular  and  discriminat- 
ing charity.  He  wished  to  reduce  the  number  of  Saints'  days, 
which  he  denounced  as  mere  excuses  for  idleness  and  drinking, 
and  instead,  to  keep  Sundays  as  Sabbaths.  Public  penance 
in  church  on  the  cutty-stool  he  'abhorred — for  it  makes 
'  culprits  shameless  and  hardened,  instead  of  tender  and  truly 
1  repentant.' 

The  purity  of  the  Swedish  language  was  another  of  his 
concerns.  It  was,  he  thought,  in  a  state  of  rapid  corruption 
from  the  crude  absorption  of  French  words  and  phrases,  against 
which  practice  he  firmly  set  his  face,  and  published  a  work  on 
the  subject  entitled  Shibboleth,  which  made  much  stir  and  pro- 
voked much  contradiction.  In  1722  he  produced  a  Swedish 
grammar,  the  first,  I  believe,  ever  printed,  and  left  in  manu- 
script lA  complete  Swedish  Dictionary,  every  Swedish  word  in 
i  which  is  extracted  from  the  Holy  Swedish  Bible  and  books  con- 
1  temporaneous  with  it,  and  interpreted  in  Latin,  and  elaborated 
"  with  great  care? 

Next  to  churches,  schools  held  a  prominent  place  in  his  heart. 
To  open  new  ones  and  extend  and  improve  old  ones  was  his 
constant  effort.  The  common  methods  of  teaching,  he  thought 
very  bad,  and  as  a  step  towards  better  ones,  he  published  1  A 
4  Book  of  Sentences  for  Gramnmr  Schools,  in  which,  in  a  light  and 
L  jorial  mama  r,  Latin,  Greek  and  some  Hebrew  may  be  learnt." 


LEARNING  DRIVEN  IN  POSTERIORLY. 


29 


The  merciless  use  of  the  rod,  which  was  worked  like  a  flail  in 
many  of  the  schools,  he  tried  to  supersede  by  prizes.  Writing 
to  the  King  for  money  to  purchase  prizes,  having  himself  given 
all  he  could  spare,  he  says,  4  And  now  a  higher  hand  is  wanted; 
1  not  such  a  hand  as  I  had  to  feel  in  my  youth,  when  every- 
1  thing  I  learnt  was  driven  in  posteriorly :'  he  seems  never  to 
have  forgotten  his  own  early  school-days  under  drunken  Ill- 
Peter's  stick. 


(    30  ) 


CHAPTER  IV. 


EMANUEL  ABROAD  AND  THE   BISHOP  AT  HOME. 


Emanuel's  education  was  meanwhile  carried  on  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  I  psala.  Of  his  thoughts  and  actions  in  these  years 
of  his  youth,  we  can  discover  nothing.  In  1709,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  took  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 

The  Latin  dissertation  which  he  wrote  for  this  degree  he 
printed,  and  dedicated  to  his  father  in  some  words  of  warm 
affection.  It  consisted  of  a  selection  of  sentences  from  Seneca 
and  Publius  Syrus  Mimus,  used  as  texts  for  comments  of  his 
own  on  friendship,  filial  love  and  other  virtues.  At  the  same 
time  he  published,  in  a  work  of  his  father's,  a  Latin  version 
of  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Ecclesiastes. 

It  was  then  resolved  that  he  should  go  abroad  for  a  few 
years,  as  we  learn  from  the  following  humble  memorial  ad- 
dressed to  the  King : — 

1  Stockholm,  22  May,  1709. 

1  As  I  am  minded  to  allow  my  son  Emanuel  Svedberg  to 
4  travel  in  foreign  lands  for  the  sake  of  his  studies,  which  he 
1  has  hitherto  diligently  pursued  at  Upsala ;  so  I  make  my 
4  most  humble  prayer  to  your  Royal  Majesty  for  permission. 

' Jespei  Svedberg.' 

For  some  reason  or  other  Emanuel  did  not  leave  Sweden 
until  the  following  year.  In  a  journal  he  gives  this  account  of 
his  first  eventful  voyage  : — 

1  In  the  year  1710  I  set  out  for  Gottenburg,  that  I  might 
1  be  conveyed,  by  ship  thence  to  London.  Chi  the  voyage,  my 
1  life  was  in  danger  four  times :  first  on  some  shoals,  towards 


A  PERILOUS  VOYAGE. 


31 


4  which  we  were  driven  by  a  storm,  until  we  were  within  a 
4  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  raging  breakers,  and  we  thought 
4  we  should  all  perish.  Afterwards  we  narrowly  escaped  some 
1  Danish  pirates  under  French  colours ;  and  the  next  evening 
1  we  were  fired  into  from  a  British  ship,  which  mistook  us  for 
1  the  same  pirates,  but  without  much  damage.  Lastly,  in  Lon- 
1  don  itself,  I  was  exposed  to  a  more  serious  danger.  While  we 
i  were  entering  the  harbour,  some  of  our  countrymen  came  to 
1  us  in  a  boat,  and  persuaded  me  to  go  with  them  into  the  city. 
4  Now  it  was  known  in  London  that  an  epidemic  was  raging 
4  in  Sweden ;  therefore  all  who  arrived  from  Sweden  were 
4  forbidden  to  leave  their  ships  for  six  weeks,  or  forty  days ;  so 
4 1,  having  transgressed  this  law,  was  very  near  being  hanged, 
4  and  was  only  freed  under  the  condition,  that  if  any  one 
4  attempted  the  same  thing  again,  he  should  not  escape  the 
4  gallows.' 

In  London  and  Oxford  he  spent  more  than  a  year  seeing 
every  sight  and  man  of  note  he  could.  In  1710  London  was 
a  city  of  500,000  inhabitants,  about  equal  to  the  Manchester 
or  Glasgow  of  to-day.  In  that  year  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  was 
completed,  after  being  thirty-five  years  in  building;  and  we 
can  fancy  young  Svedberg  wandering  in  its  aisles,  and  meeting 
Wren,  and  perhaps  uttering  a  few  words  of  admiration  in 
timid  English.  Addison  and  Steele  were  in  those  days  busy 
with  their  4  Spectator]  and  he  may  have  taken  lessons  in 
English  out  of  its  pages  damp  from  the  press.  Swift  was 
writing  his  weekly  1 Examiner''  and  serving  his  new  friends,  the 
Tories,  against  his  old  ones,  the  Whigs.  Defoe  was,  also 
busy  with  politics  arguing  for  the  Hanoverian  succession,  and 
getting  shut  up  in  his  prison  for  his  pains.  Pope  was  amazing 
the  town  with  his  ''Pastorals]  his  ''Essay  on  Criticism]  and  his 
4  Rape  of  the  Loch.1  He  was  of  the  same  age  as  Svedberg, 
and  when  he  will  again  visit  London  in  1745,  born  anew  and 
ready  for  a  second  life,  Pope's  fretful  life  on  earth  will  have 
been  run.    Dr.  Isaac  Watts,  in  1710,  was  preaching  to  large 


32 


LONDON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS  IN  1710. 


audiences  in  an  Independent  Chapel  in  Mark  Lane.  Sache- 
verell,  whose  scurrilous  mouth  had  been  closed  by  the  House 
of  Lords,  he  could  not  have  heard ;  bat  he  might  see  his 
sermons  burnt  by  the  hangman  in  front  of  the  Exchange,  and 
the  London  mob  testifying  their  admiration  for  the  Church 
and  Sacheverell  in  riot,  drink  and  bonfires.  Another  sight, 
curious  and  memorable,  he  may  have  witnessed.  Anne  was 
Queen ;  and  from  Lichtield  to  London,  a  weary  journey  of 
one  hundred  and  nineteen  miles,  came  Mrs.  Johnson  with  her 
son  Samuel,  a  heavy  child,  thirty  months  old,  sorely  afflicted 
with  the  king's  evil,  to  be  touched  by  Anne  for  bis  c  ure.  Years 
after  the  Doctor  used  to  say  he  {  had  a  confused,  but  somewhat 
4  solemn  recollection  of  the  Queen,  as  a  lady  in  diamonds  and 
'long  black  hood/  In  the  same  year  Handel  came  to  London, 
a  young  man,  and  commenced  his  melodious  English  career. 

Literature  had  not  for  Emanuel  the  same  charm  as  science. 
Mathematics,  astronomy,  and  mechanics  were  his  chosen  stu- 
dies, and  he  eagerly  sought  the  acquaintance  of  men,  who  were 
masters  in  them.  Models  of  machinery,  and  copies  of  scientific 
works  he  drained  his  purse  to  purchase,  and  Bent  them  home 
to  Sweden. 

He  visited  John  Flamsteed,  at  the  Greenwich  Observa- 
tory. The  Royal  Society  in  1710  moved  from  Gresham 
College  to  a  house  in  Crane  Court,  off  Fleet  Street,  1  in  the 
c  middle  of  the  town,  and  out  of  noise,'  and  there  he  would  see 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  sitting  president,  in  his  seventieth  year  with 
Sir  Hans  Sloane  as  secretary,  and  surrounded  by  the  ftotJOMJ  of 
the  time.  In  his  visit  to  Oxford  he  met  Edmund  Halley,  £a 
4  man  second  only  to  Newton,'  who  was  striving  to  discover  a 
method  of  finding  the  longitude  by  the  moon  :  a  problem 
Emanuel  himself  will  struggle  with  from  time  to  time  far 
into  his  old  age. 

Leaving  England,  in  1711,  he  sailed  for  Holland.  At 
Utrecht  he  abode,  while  the  Congress  of  Ambassadors  from  all 
the  European  Courts  assembled  to  consummate  that  peaee 


svedberg's  palace  burned. 


33 


which  gave  Spain  to  the  Bourbons,  and  nullified  Marlborough's 
victories.  Through  Brussels  and  Valenciennes  he  went  to 
Paris,  and  in  Paris  and  Versailles  lived  a  year.  Here  he 
would  see  Louis  XIV.  taken  to  piety  in  the  last  years  of  his 
long  life  'with  his  Missal  and  his  Maintenon,  looking  back 
1  with  just  horror  on  Europe,  four  times  set  ablaze  for  the  sake 
*  of  one  poor  mortal  in  big  perriwig,  to  no  purpose.'  In  Paris  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Pierre  Varignon,  a  laborious  student 
and  mathematician,  and  at  his  house  met  the  pleasant  Fontenelle, 
the  man  of  taste  and  wide  general  knowledge  of  science  and 
literature.  Voltaire,  too  he  may  have  encountered,  then  a 
youth  of  twenty,  and  already  known  for  his  incisive  tongue. 
Massillon,  in  the  height  of  his  glory,  he  would  hear  preach. 

From  Paris  he  went  by  coach  to  Hamburg,  and  thence  to 
Pomerania,  a  German  province  on  the  Baltic,  then  subject  to 
Sweden,  a  conquest  of  Gustavus  Adolphus.  There  in  the 
little  sea-side  university  town  of  Griefsvalde  he  took  up  his 
abode,  waiting  until  his  father  should  find  for  him  some  work 
in  Sweden, — '  alternating  mathematics  with  poetry  in  my 
1  studies,'  as  he  states  in  one  of  his  letters. 

His  father,  meanwhile,  was  in  the  midst  of  trouble.  Through 
life  Svedberg  suffered  severely  from  fires,  which  are  frequent 
in  Sweden,  owing  to  many  of  the  houses  being  built  of  wood, 
which  in  winter  is  heated  and  dried  with  stoves  to  a  high 
pitch  of  inflammability.  In  1710,  the  city  of  Skara  was  burnt 
down,  and  the  cathedral  much  injured.  Now  in  1712  his 
own  house  at  Brunsbo  is  consumed,  and  all  his  furniture  and 
writings  perish.  In  a  letter  to  the  Princess  Ulrika  Eleonora,  he 
deplores  his  1  sins  which  have  moved  God  to  such  wrath,'  but 
thanks  Him  because,  he  says,  1  He  yet  maintains  my  courage' 
He  continues — '  The  fire  broke  out  in  my  study,  which  was  all 
4  ablaze  when  we  got  to  it,  with  my  library  and  manuscripts  ; 
'  but  strange  to  say'  The  Garden  of  Paradise,  by  J.  Arndt,*  and 

*  John  Arndt,  a  Lutheran  divine,  horn  1555,  died  1621.  His  works  were 
once  widely  read  and  esteemed. 

D 


34 


THE  FIRE  AT  BBUN8B0. 


4  my  own  4  Catechism'1  were  found  in  the  ashes  with  only  their 
4  covers  singed.  From  this  I  conclude,  that  God  does  not  disown 
4  my  trifling  labours,  and  I  am  encouraged  to  persevere  in  the 
4  use  of  those  powers,  which  God  has  given  me.  Would  that  lie 
k  had  only  allowed  me  to  keep  my  little  hand  Bible,  which  1  had 
4  earned  for  44  years,  and  which  I  valued  more  than  a  hundred 
4  other  volumes  I '  He  says  he  feels  much  relieved  in  writing  to 
her  Highness  about  his  mishap,  and  concludes — 4 1  had  prc- 
4  pared  a  treatise  on  the  Lion  of  the  North,  based  on  a  dream 
4  which  Councillor  Schmalcalden  had  in  1526,  when  he  saw  in 
4  vision,  all  that  has  happened  to  our  gracious  King,  and  which 
4  promises  good  to  all  Christendom,  and  the  conversion  of  all 
4  Turks,  Jews  and  Pagans.  If  God  give  me  life  and  grace,  I 
4  shall  sit  down  again  and  write  about  this  vision.' 

Not  only  his  4  Catechism'  and  Amdt's  4  Garden  of  Paradise' 
escaped  the  fire,  but  in  the  preface  to  the  4  Catechism'  he  says — 
4  There  was  also  found  among  the  ashes  my  portrait  on  a 
4  copper-plate  uninjured,  though  somewhat  darkened  by  smoke  ; 
4  yet,  in  a  room  close  by,  a  copper  kettle,  full  of  water,  was 
4  melted.' 

Special  subscriptions  were  commanded  for  the  rebuilding 
of  Brunsbo,  but  all  was  not  done  that  Svedberg  required.  We 
therefore  find  him  addressing  the  following  characteristic  letter 
to  the  Government,  in  the  name  of  Charles  XXL,  who  was  then 
an  exile  in  Turkey — 

'Ranaker,  11th  March,  1712. 
4  Most  Mighty  King,  Most  Gracious  Lord, — My  dispo- 
4  sition,  thank  God,  has  ever  been  far  from  selfish,  and  for  this 
4  cause  God  has  most  richly  blest  me.  By  His  help,  I  have 
c  been  able,  without  assistance  from  others,  to  spend  large 
4  sums  in  printing  expensive  books  for  the  service  of  God's 
4  Church,  and  the  edification  of  many  souls.  Were  I  now  to 
4  continue  this  expenditure,  when  misfortune  and  misery  cry 
1  aloud,  and  all  bear  sympathy  with  me,  and  desire  my  rescue, 
4  and  were  1  to  keep  resolute  silence  I  should  give  myself  up 


WAILING  LETTER  TO  THE  KING. 


35 


4  to  despair,  and  yield  my  people  to  wretchedness.  To  do  so 
1  would  neither  be  pleasing  to  God,  nor  agreeable  to  a  father's 
4  heart  ;  I  am  therefore  bound  to  complain,  and  bring  my 
4  necessities  before  those,  who  are  placed  by  a  merciful  God  in 
'  such  positions,  that  by  virtue  of  their  office,  they  are  bound 
4  to  succour  those  who  are  in  distress,  and  who  cannot  there- 
4  fore  allow  me  or  mine  to  go  to  ruin. 

4  Your  Royal  Highness  gives  proof  of  your  sovereign  grace 
4  and  tenderness  in  ordering  special  subscriptions  to  be  made 
4  for  the  complete  restoration  of  the  episcopal  palace ;  but  I, 
4  my  wife  and  children,  oh !  most  gracious  King,  are  going 
4  about  little  short  of  naked ;  neither  have  I  a  single  book, 
4  which  my  office  demands. 

4  When  the  house  is  ready,  there  will  be  fixtures  to  be 
4  thought  of :  chests,  cupboards,  tables,  table-cloths,  beds,  bed- 
4  linen,  bed-curtains,  dishes,  plates  and  various  other  things, 
4  required  in  such  an  establishment. 

4 1  have,  O  King,  two  young  sons,  who  have  been  brought. 
4  up  for  your  Majesty's  service.  One  of  twenty-four  years 
4  of  age  is  now  in  England  pursuing  his  studies,  another  of 
4  seventeen  is  in  Pomerania  with  the  army.  I  must  not  see 
4  them  want. 

4 1  have,  as  said,  spent  large  sums  in  my  country's  service 
4  in  writing  and  printing  many  books,  and  many  of  them  have 
4  been  lost  in  the  fire.  The  second  volume  of  my  sermons, 
4  the  printing  of  which  was  nearly  complete,  is  burned  to  the 
4  extent  of  thirty  sheets,  but  as  the  larger  part  is  saved,  these 
4  thirty  sheets  will  have  to  be  printed  over  again. 

4  Jesper  Svedberg.' 

The  palace  was  rebuilt  the  same  year  in  stone,  and  much 
more  magnificently.  Over  the  door  he  inscribed,  4  Therefore 
4  now  let  it  please  Thee  to  bless  the  house  of  Thy  servant,  that 
4  it  may  continue  for  ever  before  Thee ;  for  Thou,  O  Lord  God, 
4  hast  spoken  it,  and  with  Thy  blessing  let  the  house  of  Thy 
1  servant  be  blessed  for  ever."  2  Samuel  vii.  29. 

i)  2 


36 


HOW  THE  PALACE  WAS  BURNED. 


About  the  origin  of  this  fire  he  gives  ■  strange  storv — 
1  One  summer  day  when  coming  out  of  Asaka  Church,  I  saw 
1  a  crowd  in  the  corner  of  the  church-yard.  When  we  gut  home 
4  T  asked  my  man  what  was  the  matter.  "  O,"  said  he,  w  it  was 
1  "  a  man  possessed  with  the  Devil,  and  when  he  saw  you  coming 
4  M  out  of  church  he  cried,  i  You  grey-headed  old  fellow  with  the 
i  u  short  hair,  you  took  a  steak  out  of  me,  but  I'll  serve  you  out 
1  "  yet  V  "  I  found  out  afterwards,  that  he  had  kept  company  with 
1  the  female  sinner,  that  I  had  brought  to  repentance  at  Brunsbo 
4  before  her  execution,  and  that  he  came  along  with  her  on  that 
1  occasion,  but  was  unable  to  approach  any  nearer  my  house 
4  than  the  gate.  When  she  came  out  from  me,  he  had  no  more 
*  power  over  her,  and  from  that  hour  he  cursed  and  hated  me. 
c  His  revenge  was  probably  gratified  in  God  granting  him  power, 
1  as  in  the  case  of  Job,  to  destroy  Brunsbo  by  fire  in  February, 
L  1712,  with  all  my  property.  The  fire  broke  out  at  midnight 
1  in  my  study,  in  the  very  place  where  the  woman  sinner  was 
4  converted :  but  he  did  not  gain  much  thereby.  God  granted 
4  unto  me,  as  unto  Job,  twice  as  much  as  before,  and  a  far 
4  handsomer  and  more  convenient  mansion.' 

As  time  went  on,  he  began  to  grow  anxious  concerning 
Emanuel's  settlement  in  life,  and  again  he  applies  to  the  King. 

1  Brunsbo,  21  October,  1714. 

1  Most  Mighty  King,  Most  Gracious  Lord. —  ...  I  also 
1  have  a  son,  Emanuel  Svcdberg.  who.  after  having  graduated 
c  at  Upsala,  has  been  for  four  years  pursuing  his  studies  in 
c  England.  Holland,  and  France,  and  is  new  staving.  I  believe, 
4  at  Rostock,  or  Griefsvalde.  In  mathematics  and  mechanic  s 
4  he  may,  with  God's  help,  be  useful  to  your  Majesty,  either 
1  at  the  Academy,  or  elsewhere. 

1  For  the  rest,  I  will  most  humbly  assure  you,  that  by  the 
c  grace  of  God,  I  shall  so  do  my  duty  in  proposing  people  for 
1  appointments,  that  you  shall  have  no  reason  to  regret  your 
c  gracious  assent. 

•  Jespeb  Stedbekg.1 


A  PLACE  WANTED  FOR  EMANUEL. 


37 


Apparently  no  answer  was  given  to  this ;  for  within  five 
weeks  after  he  repeats  his  request. 

4  Brunsbo,  25  November,  1714. 

4  Most  Mighty  and  Gracious  King, — In  my  last  hmnble 
4  memorial  I  mentioned,  that  I  have  a  son,  Emanuel,  who  has 
1  been  for  four  years  abroad  in  England,  Holland  and  France, 
1  and  is  now  living  at  Griefsvalde.  He  has  made  good  use  of 
4  his  time,  is  master  of  the  requisite  languages,  and  is  expert 
4  in  mathematics  and  mechanics.  If  your  Royal  Majesty  has 
4  need  of  such  a  one,  I  assure  you  he  will  give  you  satisfaction. 

4  Jesper  Svedberg.' 

Of  Emanuel  at  Griefsvalde  we  learn  some  things  from  a 
letter,  undated,  addressed  by  him  to  Eric  Benzelius,  who  had 
married  his  eldest  sister,  Anna. 

4  Honoured  and  Dear  Brother, — It  is  some  time  since  I 
4  had  the  pleasure  of  writing  to  you.  I  do  not  suppose  my 
4  silence  has  given  rise  to  any  anxiety ;  as  it  was  caused  partly 
4  by  negligence,  and  partly  because  I  have  not  had  any  op- 
4  portimities  of  writing.  The  same  reasons  have  likewise 
4  prevented  me  from  giving  my  dear  parents  any  news  about 
4  myself.  .  .  . 

4  Towards  the  end  of  my  stay  in  Paris,  I  went  to  see 
4  everything  in  it,  that  could  be  seen.  I  also  took  my  com- 
4  pardons  to  those  friends,  to  whom  you  so  kindly  introduced 
4  me,  and  they  shewed  us  every  politeness  for  your  sake,  as 
4  they  retain  an  incredible  esteem  and  affection  for  you.  As 
4  soon  as  Father  Quien  heard  your  name,  he  placed  the  whole 
4  of  his  library  at  our  seiwice,  and  was  at  a  loss  to  know  how 
4  to  show  us  sufficient  attention.  The  same  was  the  case  with 
4  Father  Le  Lon£,  who  has  a  History  of  Literature  on  hand. 
4  It  would  be  to  them  a  heart-felt  delight  to  have  you  amongst 
4  them. 

4 1  am  very  glad,  that  I  have  come  to  a  place  where  I  have 
4  leisure  to  arrange  my  works  and  ideas,  which  until  now  have 
fc  been  in  disorder,  and  scattered  here  and  there  on  scraps 


38 


A  LIST  OF  INVENTIONS. 


k  of  paper.  I  have  now  begun  this  labour,  and  shall  soon 
4  complete  it.  I  have  promised  my  dear  father  to  publish  a 
4  ''Specimen  AcademicamJ  for  which  I  shall  select  some  inven- 
{ tions  I  have  in  mechanics.  Moreover,  I  have  the  following 
4  mechanical  contrivances. 

4  1.  The  construction  of  a  sort  of  ship,  in  which  a  man  can 
'  go  below  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  do  great  damage  to  the 
4  fleet  of  an  enemy. 

4  2.  A  new  form  of  svphon,  by  which  a  large  quantity  of 
1  water  may  be  raised  from  any  river  to  more  lofty  situations 
1  in  a  short  time. 

4  3.  On  lifting  weights  by  water,  by  means  of  this  svphon, 
4  with  greater  ease  than  by  the  mechanical  powers. 

4  4.  On  constructing  sluices  in  places,  where  there  is  no  fall 
4  of  water,  by  means  of  which  large  ships,  with  their  cargoes, 
4  may  be  raised  to  any  height  within  an  hour  or  two. 

4  5.  A  machine,  driven  by  fire,  for  pumping  water,  and 
4  lifting  at  forges,  where  the  water  has  no  fall. 

4  6.  A  bridge,  which  can  be  opened  and  shut. 

4  7.  New  machines  for  condensing  and  exhausting  air  by 
4  means  of  water.  Also  a  new  pump,  acting  by  water  and 
4  mercury,  without  any  syphon,  and  which  has  many  advan- 
4  tages  over  the  common  kind. 

4  8.  A  new  construction  of  air-guns,  by  which  a  thousand 
4  balls  may  be  discharged  through  one  tube,  in  one  moment. 

4  9.  A  universal  musical  instrument,  by  means  of  which  the 
4  most  inexperienced  musician  can  execute  all  the  kinds  of  mo- 
4  dulations,  which  are  found  in  notation. 

4  10.  8ck {agraphia  vnicersalis,  or  a  mechanical  method  of 
k  delineating  houses  of  every  kind,  and  on  any  surface,  by  means 
4  of  fire. 

4  11.  An  aquatic  clock,  in  which  water  replaces  the  index, 
1  and  by  its  course  shows  the  motion  of  the  planets,  and  produces 
•  other  curious  effects. 

4  12.  Likewise,  a  mechanical  chariot  containing  all  kinds 


EMANUEL  TO  BEXZELIUS. 


39 


4  of  tools,  which  are  set  in  action  by  the  movement  of  the 
4  horses. 

4  A  flying  chariot,  or  the  possibility  of  floating  in  the  air  and 
4  moving  through  it. 

4  13.  A  method  of  discovering  the  desires  and  affections  of 
4  the  minds  of  men  by  analysis. 

4  14.  And  on  new  methods  of  making  chords  and  their 
4  properties. 

4  These  are  my  mechanical  inventions,  which  were  scattered 
4  among  my  papers,  but  now  they  are  set  in  order,  so  that  when 
4  a  chance  occurs,  they  may  be  published.  I  have  likewise 
4  furnished  the  whole  of  them  with  algebraic  and  numeral  cal- 
4  dilations,  whence  I  have  deduced  the  proportions,  motion, 
4  times,  and  all  the  properties,  which  they  ought  to  possess. 
4  Moreover,  I  have  some  papers  on  the  analytical  sciences, 
4  and  astronomy,  which  require  their  own  place  and  time. 
4  O,  how  greatly  I  desire,  my  dearest  brother,  to  submit  all  these 
4  matters  to  your  inspection,  and  to  lay  them  before  Professor 
4  Elfvius,  but  as  I  cannot  show  you  the  actual  machines,  I  will 
4  at  least  send  you  the  drawings  of  them,  on  which  I  am  occupied 
4  daily. 

4  A  person  has  called  on  me  to  collect  my  poems  in  a  volume. 
4  They  are  merely  fables,  similar  to  those  of  Ovid,  under  cover 
4  of  which  I  have  concealed  all  the  events  which  have  taken 
4  place  in  Europe  during  the  last  fourteen  or  fifteen  years,  so 
4  that  I  have  been  able  to  sport  freely  with  grave  aifairs,  and 
4  play  with  the  heroes  and  great  men  of  our  country.  In  the 
4  meantime,  however,  I  feel  some  shame  in  speaking  of  so  many 
4  plans  whilst  as  yet  I  have  done  nothing.  The  cause  is  my 
4  travels  and  their  hindrances. 

4 1  have  a  great  desire  to  return  to  Sweden,  and  take  in 
4  hand  all  Polhem's  inventions  for  the  purpose  of  delineating 
4  and  describing  them,  and  confirming  them  by  physics,  me- 
4  chanics,  hydrostatics  and  hydraulics,  as  well  as  by  the 
4  algebraic  calculus :  and  by  this  means  commence  a  Swedish 


40 


EMANUEL  AT  GRIEF8VALDE. 


4  Society  for  the  pursuit  of  the  Mathematical  Sciences,  for 
4  which  we  have  an  excellent  foundation  in  Polhem\s  inventions. 
4 1  wish  also  that  mine  could  serve  the  same  end. 

4  As  to  my  theory  concerning  the  Method  of  Finding  the 
4  Longitude,  it  too  is  on  scraps  of  paper.  I  was  able  to  give 
4  only  a  few  hints  concerning  it  in  Paris,  where  our  friends 
4  wished  to  see  it,  and  to  know  how  it  could  he  practised  ;  but 
4  I  did  not  wish  them  to  know  all,  and  so  lose  any  reward  I 
4  might  obtain  by  my  invention.  .  .  . 

4  Your  most  affectionate, 

4  Emanuel  Svedberg. 

4  P.S.  A  thousand  remembrances  to  my  sister  Anna.  I 
4  hope  she  is  not  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  the  Russians.  I 
4  have  a  great  longing  to  see  my  little  brother  Eric  again  (his 
4  nephew),  perhaps  he  will  be  able  to  make  a  triangle,  or  to 
4  draw  for  me  when  I  give  him  a  little  ruler.  Vale.' 

In  another  letter  to  Benzelius,  repeating  his  desire  for  the 
formation  of  a  mathematical  society,  and  sending  him  4  a  plan 
4  for  an  air  pump  worked  by  water,'  he  writes — 

4  Griefsvalde,  4  April,  1715. 

4  I  am  relieving  these  mathematical  studies  with  poetry.  I 
4  have  published  one  or  two  pieces,  and  I  have  in  the  press 
4  some  fables,  like  those  of  Ovid,  under  which  the  deeds  of 
4  some  kings  and  great  people  are  hidden. 

4  As  to  literary  ability,  nothing  worthy  of  much  notice  is 
4  to  be  found  in  Griefsvalde,  which  is,  excuse  the  expression, 
4  a  very  paltry  academy.  Papke  is  the  professor  of  mathe- 
4  matics,  and  is  better  fitted  for  anything  than  that  science. 

4  I  should  have  liked  to  meet  Leibnitz,  who  is  at  pre- 
4  sent  in  Vienna.  Wolfs  4  Cursus  Matliematicus^  translated  into 
4  Latin,  should  be  in  Sweden  5  it  is  a  very  useful  and  clearly- 
4  written  book. 

4  I  am  exceedingly  glad  to  hear  that  Professor  Upmark 
4  and  sister  Eva  Svcde,  are  united  in  thalamo  et  lecto.  I 
c  wish  them  every  joy.    I  had  intended  to  write  a  carmen 


KING  CHARLES  ESCAPES  FROM  TURKEY. 


41 


1  nuptiale  over  them ;  but  as  it  is  now  too  late,  it  must  be  a 
c  carmen  geniale. 

!  Salute  sister  Anna  a  thousand  times,  and  if  you  write,  I 
1  shall  expect  a  short  account  of  my  little  brother  Eric.' 

His  small  volume  of  Latin  prose  fables  he  published  at 
Griefsvalde,  in  1715,  entitled  lCamena  Borea,  cum  keroum  et 
1  keroidum  factis  ludens,  sive  Fabellce  Ovidianis  similes. Also 
an  oration,  fervent  with  patriotism,  on  the  return  of  Charles 
XII.  from  Turkey,  under  the  following  circumstances. 

Charles  had  invaded  Russia,  and  like  Napoleon  a  century 
later,  found  its  deserts  and  climate  worse  foes  than  armies.  He 
laid  siege  to  Pultowa,  where  the  Russians  had  collected  large 
stores,  and  Peter  the  Great  advanced  to  its  relief  with  70,000 
men.  On  the  8th  of  July,  1709,  Charles  and  Peter  fought 
a  battle  before  Pultowa,  which  ended  in  the  complete  defeat 
of  the  Swedes.  Charles  fled  to  Turkey,  and  placed  himself 
under  the  protection  of  Sultan  Achmet  III.,  who  generously 
assigned  him  a  pension  and  the  town  of  Bender,  on  the 
Dneister,  as  a  residence. 

In  this  weary  exile  1  the  Lion  of  the  North '  spent  five 
years.  His  army,  with  which  he  had  done  deeds  which 
justly  filled  the  world  with  amazement,  was  annihilated  by 
famine,  slaughter  and  captivity.  Few  of  his  soldiers  ever 
returned  to  Sweden.  His  continental  provinces  were  absorbed 
into  the  dominions  of  his  enemies,  and  his  country  left  without 
commerce,  money,  or  credit.  Shut  up  in  Bender,  many  of  his 
subjects,  whose  prudence  was  more  than  their  loyalty,  were 
not  unwilling,  that  he  should  be  kept  there  perpetually,  and 
out  of  the  way  of  mischief. 

But  Charles  '  ended  this  obstinate  torpor  at  last ;  broke 
1  out  of  Turkish  Bender,  or  Demotica.  With  a  groom  or  two, 
L  through  desolate  steppes  and  mountain  wildernesses,  through 
S  crowded  dangerous  cities  he  rode  without  pause,  forward, 
L  ever  forward  in  darkest  incognito,  the  indefatigable  man ; — 
1  and  finally  on  Old  Hallowmas  Eve  (22nd— 11th  November, 


42 


EMANUEL  RBTURN8  HOME. 


1  1714),  far  in  the  night,  a  horseman,  with  two  others  still 
4  following  him,  travel  splashed,  and  white  with  snow,  drew 
'  bridle  at  the  gate  of  Stralsund ;  and  to  the  surprise  of  the 
1  Swedish  sentinel  there,  demanded  instant  admission  to  the 
1  Governor.  The  Governor,  at  first  a  little  surly  of  humour, 
4  saw  gradually  how  it  was ;  sprang  out  of  bed,  and  embraced 
i  the  knees  of  the  snowy  man  ;  Stralsund  in  general  sprang 
4  out  of  bed,  and  illuminated  itself,  that  same  Hallow-Eve : — 
*  and  in  brief,  Charles  XII.,  after  five  years  of  eclipse,  has 
1  re-appeared  upon  the  stage  of  things ;  and  menaces  the 
4  world,  in  his  old  fashion,  from  that  City.'* 

Stralsund  was  the  only  place  in  Pomerania  left  to  the 
Swedes  by  their  enemies.  Well  fortified,  almost  surrounded 
by  lake  and  sea,  it  was  supposed  inaccessible,  and  well  suited 
for  a  centre  of  aggression.  Here  Charles  found  a  Swedish 
garrison  of  9,000  men,  and  he  instantly  commenced  opera- 
tions against  Prussia,  Denmark,  Saxony  and  Russia,  in  the 
hope  of  retrieving  his  disasters  ;  but  after  obtaining  a  few 
advantages,  his  foes  closed  him  up  in  Stralsund,  and  besieged 
him  by  sea  and  land.  Griefsvalde  was  only  fifteen  miles  from 
Stralsund,  and  as  the  country  grew  hot  with  armies,  young 
Svedberg  deemed  it  prudent  to  be  off ;  he  therefore,  in  the 
Spring  of  1715,  got  on  board  a  small  vessel,  crossed  the 
Baltic,  and  reached  home  safely. 

Svedberg  was  glad  to  see  his  son  again  ;  but  was  troubled 
that  he  should  now  be  twenty-seven,  and  yet  have  nothing 
to  do.  King  Charles  had  a  world  in  arms  against  him  at 
Stralsund  ;  yet  he  might  spare  a  thought  for  'my  son  Emanuel.' 
He  thinks  there  can  be  no  harm  in  trying,  and  to  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant Pfiff,  who  is  with  Charles  in  his  German  fortress,  he 
addresses  a  letter,  in  which  occurs  this  passage — 

'Brunsbo,  12  July,  1715. 

4  May  it  please  your  Excellency, — Iffy  son  Emanuel,  after 


*  Carlyle's  'Fredrick  the  Great,'  vol.  i.  page  420. 


PLACE  AND  NOBILITY  WANTED  EARNESTLY.  43 

1  five  years'  foreign  travel,  has  at  length  returned  home.  I 
4  hope  he  may  be  found  available  for  some  Academy.  He  is 
4  accomplished  in  Oriental  languages,  as  well  as  European, 
4  but  especially  he  is  an  adept  in  poetry  and  mathematics. 
4  He  intends  to  build  himself  an  Observatory  on  Kinnakulla, 
1  which  is  not  far  from  Skara,  where  he  will  try  to  find  out  a 
4  method  for  ascertaining  the  longitude  at  sea.  For  some 
4  means,  by  which  this  may  be  done,  many  potentates  have 
4  offered  large  -  sums  of  money  to  the  discoverer.  If  there 
1  should  be  an  opening  at  an  Academy  here  in  Sweden,  will 
4  your  Excellency  be  so  kind  as  advance  him  to  fill  it  ?  With 
4  God's  help,  he  will  honour  his  place. 

4  Jesper  Svedberg.' 
The  Bishop,  in  the  Spring  of  the  same  year,  had  addressed 
another  request  to  the  King,  praying  that  his  sons,  and  two 
of  his  sons-in-law,  in  one  body,  might  be  ennobled.    Here  is 
his  petition — 

4  Brunsbo,  9  February,  1715. 
4  Most  Mighty  King,  Most  Gracious  Lord, — It  has  pleased 
4  God  to  allot  me  seven  children,  for  whose  well-being  I  am 
4  bound  to  care.  Of  these,  three  are  sons, — the  eldest  seeks  to 
4  render  himself  completely  accomplished  for  the  service  of 
4  your  royal  Majesty  and  our  fatherland,  by  courses  of  study, — 
4  the  second  (Eliezer)  does  so  likewise  in  business  connected 
4  with  mining,  and  the  third  (Jesper)  also,  by  service  for  two 
4  years  in  your  Majesty's  army  in  Pomerania,  but  now  by  a 
4  voyage  to  the  far  Indies,  or  as  it  is  called,  New  Sweden. 
4  The  daughters  have  all  entered  into  matrimony  with  honour- 
4  able  persons ;  two  are  married  to  men  in  the  priestly  estate, 
4  one  (Anna)  to  the  Librarian  of  your  Majesty's  Academy 
1  in  Upsala,  Eric  Benzelius,*  and  the  other  (Catherina)  to  a 
4  pastor,  here  in  West  Gothland,  Jonas  Unge :  of  the  other 
4  two,  one  (Margaretta)  is  married  to  Lundstedt,  the  Master 


*  Afterwards  Archbishop  of  Upsala. 


44 


SVEDBERG  WOULD  HAVE  HIS  SONS  NOBLES. 


1  of  the  Horse  in  your  Majesty's  Life  Guards,  and  the  other 
'  (Hedwig)  to  Lars  Benzelstierna,  the  Master  of  the  Mines  in 
*  East  and  West  Bergslagen. 

4  For  these  I  make  bold  in  all  humility  to  solicit,  that  it 
1  may  please  your  royal  Majesty  to  grant  me  the  favour,  that 
1  others  of  my  brothers  in  office  have  experienced :  namely,  to 
4  promote  to  the  rank  and  place  of  nobles  my  afore-named 
f  sons  and  my  two  last-named  sons-in-law,  the  Master  of  the 
4  Horse,  Lundstedt  and  the  Master  of  the  Mines,  Benzelstierna. 
4  It  will  be  an  encouragement  to  them  still  further,  in  humble 
L  submission,  to  make  themselves  worthy  of  the  grace  of  your 
1  royal  Majesty  and  the  service  of  their  country,  and  to  me, 
1  your  Majesty's  loyal  subject,  your  favour  will  be  peculiarly 
1  agreeable. 

1  Jesper  Svedberg.' 
Nothing  at  the  time  came  of  these  petitions,  but  Svedberg 
was  not  discouraged.    He  will  renew  them,  and  have  them 
answered. 

In  the  course  of  other  matter  we  find  him  writing — 1  I 
c  have  kept  my  sons  to  that  profession  to  which  God  has  given 
L  them  inclination  and  liking.  I  have  not  brought  up  one  to 
'  the  clerical  office,  although  many  parents  do  this  incon- 
'  siderately,  and  in  a  manner  not  justifiable,  by  which  the 
i  Christian  Church  and  Priesthood  suffer  not  a  little,  and  are 
L  brought  into  contempt.' 

Emanuel  meanwhile  collected  the  poems  he  had  written 
during  his  travels,  and  published  them  at  Skara  in  a  volume 
entitled  '  Ludus  Ileliconius  sive  Carmina  Miscellanea,  qua?  variis 
4  in  locis  cecinit  Emanuel  Svedberg.''  Like  most  Latin  verse-, 
written  by  modems,  little  more  can  be  said  of  them  than  that 
they  are  proofs  of  their  author's  facile  command  of  a  dead  lan- 
guage. The  poems  are  chiefly  praises  of  love,  sometimes  erotic, 
of  friendship  and  of  patriotism.  One  of  the  poems,  and  the  best 
in  the  collection,  has  been  translated  by  Mr.  Francis  Barhani, 
of  Bath.    It  commemorates  a  victory  gained  by  peasants,  led 


Emanuel's  latin  verses. 


45 


on  by  Steinbock,  over  a  Danish  army,  which  had  made  a  descent 
on  the  Swedish  coast  during  Charles's  exile  in  Turkey.  He 
thus  addresses  the  absent  King : — 

1  Ah,  soon  return, — oh,  monarch  of  our  love  ! 

'  Oh,  Sun  of  Sweden,  waste  not  all  thy  light 

'  To  illume  the  crescent  of  the  Ottomans  : 

1  Thine  absence  we  bewail,  wandering  in  glooms 

'  Of  midnight  sorrow— save  that  these  bright  stars, 

1  That  lead  us  on  to  victory,  still  console 

1  Thy  people's  hearts,  and  bid  them  not  despair.' 

And  thus  Steinbock : — 

1  Steinbock  !  thy  red  right  hand 
'  Hath  smitten  down  the  spoiler  ;  and  in  thee 
'  Another  Charles  we  honour, — and  rejoice 
1  To  hail  thee,  hero  of  thy  grateful  country. 

1  Chief  of  our  gallant  chiefs — 
'  Too  gallant  for  a  song  so  weak  as  mine — 
1  Oh  !  could  their  names  enshrined  in  monuments 

•  Appear,  how  would  the  eyes  of  Sweden  kindle 
'  To  read  them.   Coronets  of  gold  for  thee, 

'  Were  all  too  little  recompence  ;  hereafter, 

'  A  crown  of  stars  is  all  thine  own.    The  foe 

'  Lies  broken  by  thy  force  and  heroism ; 

1  Numerous  as  Denmark's  sands  they  came — how  few 

1  Returned — their  princes  and  their  soldiery 

•  Repulsed  with  scorn,  while  shuddering  horror  hung 
1  Upon  their  flight.' 

And  so  forth.  He  never  writes  nonsense,  or  rises  above  fair 
common-place.  If  it  be  admitted  that  he  had  some  poetic  feeling, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  he  was  wholly  wanting-  in  the  power 
of  its  expression  by  those  terse  and  graphic  '  ises  in  which 
alone  poetic  thought  becomes  poetry. 

Emanuel's  chief  friend  and  correspondent  was  his  brother- 
in-law  Eric  Benzelius.  With  him  he  discussed  all  the  me- 
chanical and  scientific  projects  with  which  his  mind  was  teeming. 
A  Swedish  Mathematical  Society,  with  a  professor  of  mechanics, 
a  secretary  and  other  officers,  was  one  of  his  schemes.  Another 
was  an  observatory,  where  he  might  work  out  a  method  of  find- 
ing the  longitude  at  sea,  and  win  some  of  the  rewards  promised 
to  any  discoverer.  The  English  Parliament  in  1 704  had  offered 
£10,000,  £15,000  and  £20,000  respectively,  for  a  ready  method 


4G 


emanuel's  disco vekies  and  projects. 


by  which  the  longitude  could  be  determined  within  sixty,  forty 
and  thirty  miles.  lie  also  worked  hard  in  commencing  the 
manufacture  of  salt  in  Sweden,  and  thought,  that  4  it  would  be 
1  of  more  importance  to  the  country  than  the  whole  of  its  iron 
1  trade,  and  that  the  money  sent  out  of  Sweden  for  salt  would 
1  be  kept  at  home.'  In  Westergyllen  he  spied  some  white  clay, 
which  he  writes  to  Bcnzelius,  i  I  suspect  is  the  same  as  is  used  in 
1  Holland  and  England  for  making  tobacco  pipes  and  crockery,7 
and  prays  4  to  be  informed  by  Dr.  Bromell,  or  Dr.  Roberg, 
*  What  kind  of  clay  the  English  and  Dutch  use,  and  how  they 
1  bake  tobacco  pipes  in  the  sun  and  oven  ?  If  the  clay  I  have 
'  found  is  of  the  right  kind  it  will  be  worth  many  thousand  rix 
1  dollars  :  but  silence  about  it.' 

At  the  end  of  1715  Stralsund  was  taken,  and  on  the  20th 
of  December,  King  Charles  escaped  in  a  small  bark  with  oars 
and  sails,  amidst  the  fire  of  guns,  which  killed  two  men  by  his 
side,  and  shattered  the  boat's  mast.  Picked  up  by  a  Swedish 
vessel  he  was  landed  in  his  own  country,  and  at  once  began 
to  make  fresh  efforts  for  the  prosecution  of  war. 


(    47  ) 


CHAPTEK  V. 


CHARLES  XII.  AND  SWEDEXBORG. 


In  1716,  Emanuel  started  a  periodical  work,  in  Swedish,  en- 
titled 4  Dcedalics  Hyperboreusf  a  record  of  the  new  flights  of 
mechanical  and  mathematical  genius  in  Sweden.  It  did  not 
pay;  it  appeared  irregularly,  and  ceased  altogether  in  1718, 
having  only  reached  a  sixth  number.  Yet  it  was  useful  to  its 
editor,  for  it  advertised  his  powers,  and  introduced  him  to  men 
of  kindred  tastes,  and  especially  to  Christopher  Polhem,  an 
engineer,  who  has  been  called  the  Scandinavian  Archimedes. 

Again  we  find  Bishop  Svedberg  pleading,  that  his  sons  be 
ennobled. 

4  AVennesborg,  23  April,  1716. 
•  Most  Mighty  King,  Most  Gracious  Lord, — I  am  desirous 
4  to  help  my  children  forward  as  far  as  I  can  in  your  royal 
4  Majesty's  service.  My  son  Emanuel  is  of  Polhem's  mind, 
4  and  has  travelled  in  foreign  parts  for  four  years,  and  has 
4  given  proofs  of  his  powers  in  print  (see  the  cDcedaIus  Hyper- 
4  (,boreus'')1  which  are  in  the  Crown  Prince's  hands.  My  next 
4  son,  Eliezer,  is  engaged  in  mining,  and  my  third,  Jesper, 
4  is  a  sailor,  and  is  now  in  the  Indies.  My  son-in-law, 
4  Lars  Benzelstierna,  is  a  master  of  the  mines,  and  Andreas 
'  Limdstedt,  another,  is  [Master  of  the  Horse  in  your  Majesty's 
4  Life  Guards.  These,  I  beseech  most  humbly,  that  your 
4  royal  Majesty  may,  of  your  grace,  be  pleased  to  exalt  to  the 
4  rank  and  privilege  of  Nobles,  whereby  they  will  be  greatly 
4  encouraged  in  your  Majesty's  service. 

1  Jesper  Svedberg.' 


48 


EMANUEL  MADE  ASSESSOR  OF  MINES. 


Towards  the  close  of  1716,  Folhem  invited  Emanuel  to 
go  with  him  to  Lund  and  see  King  Charles,  who  never  went 
near  Stockholm  from  the  day  he  left  it  in  1 700,  not  caring  to 
enter  his  capital  otherwise  than  a  victor.  Charles  received 
him  kindly,  perceived  his  abilities,  and  gave  him  the  choice  of 
three  places:  that  of  Assessor  in  the  College  of  Klines  was 
selected.    The  warrant  ran  as  follows — 

4  Lund,  19  December,  1716. 

'  Charles,  &c.,  to  the  College  of  Mines,  &c. — In  our  plea- 
4  sure  we  have  thought  fit  to  appoint  Emanuel  Svedbcrg  as 
4  Extraordinary  Assessor  in  the  College  of  Mines,  in  order 
1  that  he  may  co-operate  with  Polhem,  the  Councillor  of  Com- 
4  mercc,  in  his  affairs  and  inventions.  It  is  our  pleasure  hereby 
4  to  let  you  know  the  same,  with  our  gracious  order,  that  you 
4  allow  him  to  enjoy  a  seat  and  voice  in  the  College  whenever 
4  he  is  able  to  be  present,  and  especially  when  any  business 
4  connected  with  mechanics  is  under  discussion. 

4  With  God's  blessing,  4  Carolus.' 

The  intercouse  between  Charles  XII.  and  Emanuel  became 
very  intimate,  and  happily  he  has  left  us  some  account  of  it* — 

*  Communicated  by  Stvedenborg  to  M.  Nordberg  as  '  worthy  of  trans- 
'  mission  to  posterity,'  and  printed  by  him  in  his  'History  of  Charles  AT/.'  A 
German  version  of  Nordberg' s  History  in  two  sumptuous  folios,  published  at 
Hamburg  in  1742-46,  is  the  only  copy  of  the  work  I  have  been  able  to  find 
in  the  British  Museum.  (1861).  Swedenborg  mentions  to  Nordl)erg  'I  have 
1  already  touched  upon  this  subject  in  the  fourth  part  of  my  1  Miscellanea, ' 
'  whence  M.  Wolf  has  obtained  what  he  has  said  in  his  '  Elcmenta  Matheseos 
■  1  Univcrscr,1*  relative  to  this  new  calculus.'  In  the  '  Gentleman's  Magazine1 
for  September,  1754,  is  printed  an  account  of  Swedenborg's  intercourse  with 
Charles  XII.,  with  several  trifling  variations  from  the  above,  and  without 
any  information  as  to  its  derivation,  and  just  as  if  it  were  a  contribution 
from  Swedenborg  himself.  At  the  end  the  editor  writes — '  We  should  esteem 
1  it  a  great  favour  if  this  ingenious  gentleman  would  communicate  a  copy  of 
'  his  Swedish  Majesty's  scheme  for  some  future  Magazine."  That  Swedenborg 
ever  saw  the  '  Gentleman  s  Magazine1  is  doubtful,  but  at  any  rate  he  does  not 
appear  to  have  complied  with  the  editor's  request. 

*  Christ.  Wolfs  1  Elemcnta  Math  seos  Universe?,'  Tom.  1,  p.  21.  Genevjr, 
1743.  The  passage  is  as  follows:  '  Et  Carolus  XII.,  Kcx  Sueeia\  calculuni 
'  Soxagenarium  excogitavit.  refercnte  Emanuele  Swedenbnrgio,  novw  chavac- 

teribus  et  numeris,  novisque  denominationibus  adinventis.' 


KING  CHARLES  AS  A  MATHEMATICIAN. 


49 


4  In  1716,  when  M.  Polhem  received  the  King's  orders  to 
4  repair  to  Lund,  he  engaged  me  to  go  with  hhn.  Having 
4  been  presented  to  his  Majesty,  he  often  did  us  the  honour  of 
4  conversing  with  us  on  the  different  branches  of  mathematics, 
4  and  particularly  on  mechanics,  the  mode  of  calculating  forces 
'  and  other  problems  in  mixed  mathematics.  He  seemed  to 
4  take  great  pleasure  in  these  conversations  and  often  put 
4  questions,  as  if  he  wished  some  easy  information,  but  we 
'  soon  found  he  knew  more  than  we  had  thought,  which  put 
4  us  on  our  guard  when  advancing  any  doubtful  opinion  lest 
4  he  should  detect  its  fallacy.  The  conversation  at  one  time 
4  turning  on  analytic  and  algebraic  calculations  and  the  regula 
L  falsi,  he  desired  us  to  give  him  a  few  examples,  which  we 
4  did,  proposing  such  as  made  it  necessary,  in  order  to  proceed 
4  agreeably  to  rule,  to  use  signs  or  symbols  as  well  as  equa- 
4  tions ;  but  the  King  did  not  require  them,  and  after  a  few 
4  minutes'  reflection,  he  told  us,  without  any  other  aid  than  his 
4  own  superior  genius,  in  what  way  our  examples  might  be 
4  solved,  which  we  always  found  to  agree  perfectly  with  our 
4  calculations.  I  confess,  that  I  have  never  been  able  to 
4  understand,  how,  by  mere  reasoning,  and  without  the  aid 
4  of  algebra,  he  was  able  to  solve  problems  of  this  kind.  It 
4  seemed,  indeed,  that  the  King  was  not  sorry  to  display  before 
4  a  competent  judge  like  M.  Polhem  a  penetration  and  a  power 
4  of  reasoning,  equal  to  those  of  the  ablest  mathematicians. 

4 1  will  now  relate  to  you,  as  I  am  peculiarly  able  to  do, 
4  what  arose  from  this  learned  amusement.  Conversing  one 
4  day  about  arithmetic,  his  Majesty  observed  that  the  denary 
4  arithmetic,  in  universal  use,  was  most  probably  derived  from 
4  the  original  method  of  counting  on  the  fingers  practised  by 
4  illiterate  people  of  old,  who  when  they  had  run  through  the 
4  fingers  of  both  hands,  repeated  the  process  over  and  over 
4  again,  keeping  a  tally  of  tens,  and  when  figures  were  invented 
4  this  mode  of  numerating  by  tens  was  preserved  and  brought 
4  down  to  the  present  day.    The  King  was  of  opinion,  that 

E 


50 


A   NEW  ARITHMETIC. 


had  such  not  been  the  origin  of  our  mode  of  counting,  a 
much  better  method  might  have  been  devised  ;  the  number 
10  being  a  very  inconvenient  one,  as  it  can  be  divided  by 
no  numbers  except  5  and  2  without  breaking  into  fractions; 
besides,  as  it  contains  neither  the  square,  nor  the  cube,  nor 
the  fourth  power  of  any  number,  it  interposes  perpetual 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  easy  calculation :  whereas,  had  the 
periodic  number  been  8  or  16,  great  facilities  would  have 
resulted,  the  first  being  a  cube  number,  of  which  the  root  or 
prime  is  2,  and  the  second  a  biquadrate  number,  of  which 
the  root  or  prime  is  also  2 ;  consequently,  either  of  these 
numbers  as  a  basal  number  would  prove  highly  useful  in 
calculating  money  or  measures,  as  by  them  the  complexity  of 
fractions  would  be,  in  a  great  measure,  avoided.  Having 
represented  to  him,  that  this  could  not  be  done  unless  we 
invented  new  figures,  to  which  also  new  names  must  be 
given,  as  otherwise,  great  confusion  would  arise :  he  desired 
us  to  produce  an  example. 

4  We  chose  the  number  8,  which  is  of  the  cube  2.  We 
also  invented  new  figures,  to  which  we  gave  new  names,  and 
worked  out  the  method,  applying  it  to  weights  and  measures 
and  cubic  calculations.  Our  essay  we  presented  to  the  King, 
who  was  pleased  with  it ;  but  he  evidently  desired  something 
more  extended  and  less  easy,  in  order  that  there  might  be 
something  on  which  to  display  his  great  penetration.  For 
this  purpose  he  made  choice  of  04,  which  is  the  prime  number 
2  involved  to  the  sixth  power  ;  but  we  objected,  that  it  was  far 
too  high  a  number  ;  and  consequently,  very  inconvenient,  that 
if  we  were  obliged  to  reckon  up  to  64  (inventing  new  single 
figures  from  10  to  63  inclusive)  before  recommencing  (repre- 
senting 64  by  the  figures  10),  and  upon  reaching  64  times  64 
or  4096,  only  three  figures  would  have  to  be  used  (4096  being 
represented  by  the  figures  100),  the  difficulties  would  be  such 
that  the  scheme  would  be  little  short  of  impossible.  However, 
the  more  we  urged  these  and  other  difficulties,  the  more  was  he 


THE  KING'S  ARITHMETICAL  ABILITY. 


51 


determined  to  work  out  this  idea,  and  to  prove  to  us  how  easily 
and  quickly  it  might  be  done,  he  said  he  would  do  it  himself. 
To  our  amazement  he  sent  us  next  morning  the  method  fully 
developed.  He  had  invented  64  new  figures,  divided  into  8 
classes,  and  each  class  with  its  own  style  of  symbol.  Upon  a 
closer  inspection  I  found,  that  these  symbols  were  composed  of 
the  initial  and  final  letters  of  his  own  name,  in  a  manner  at 
once  so  clear  and  exact,  that  when  the  first  8  numbers  were 
known,  all  the  rest  up  to  64  were  learnt  with  ease ;  for  the 
first  8  were  so  simple  and  well  contrived,  that  they  served  as 
a  key  to  the  remaining  sevens,  to  which  they  stood  as  heads. 

1  It  was  to  me  that  the  King  committed  this  plan  in  his 
own  handwriting  (which  I  still  preserve),  that  I  might  frame 
from  it  a  table  shewing  the  differences  between  it  and  the 
common  mode  of  reckoning,  both  as  to  names  and  figures. 

1  The  King  had  also  added  to  his  plan  an  example  in 
multiplication,  and  an  example  in  division :  two  operations, 
in  which  I  had  contemplated  much  difficulty.  As  it  was  my 
place  to  perfect  the  method,  I  examined  it  thoroughly,  and 
tried  to  make  it  yet  more  convenient  and  easy  of  application. 
My  attempts,  however,  were  in  vain,  and  I  question  whether 
the  greatest  mathematicians  would  have  succeeded. 

c  What  I  chiefly  admired  was  the  King's  ingenuity,  shewn 
in  the  invention  of  the  figures  and  the  names,  and  the  ease 
with  which  the  signs  could  be  varied  ad  infinitum.  I  was 
also  greatly  struck  with  his  example  in  multiplication ;  and 
when  I  consider  the  short  time  in  which  he  wrought  out  the 
scheme,  I  cannot  but  regard  him  as  endowed  with  faculties 
much  above  those  of  other  men. 

1  From  this  cause  I  have  been  led  to  believe,  that  in  all  his 
other  actions  he  was  guided  by  a  deeper  wisdom  than  ap- 
parently belonged  to  him.  Certain  it  is,  that  he  thought  it 
beneath  him  to  assume  the  air  of  a  learned  man  by  affecting 
an  imposing  exterior. 

L  He  said  to  me  one  day  that  "  He  who  has  made  no  pro- 

e  2 


52        PROPOSED  MARRIAGE  TO  EMEBENTIA  POLHEM. 


4  u  gross  in  mathematics  docs  not  deserve  to  be  considered 
4  44  a  rational  man :"  a  sentiment  truly  worthy  of  a  King ! 
4  Accordingly,  he  especially  patronized  mathematicians,  and 
4  had  it  pleased  Providence  to  allow  him  to  rule  Sweden  in 
4  peace,  he  would  have  raised  literature  and  science  to  higher 
4  perfection  than  they  have  ever  attained,  or  perhaps  ever 
4  will  attain  in  Sweden.  His  example  would  have  stimulated 
4  his  people,  who  would  have  striven  with  noble  emulation  to 
4  win  the  praise  of  an  accomplished  prince,  always  ready  to 
4  bestow  on  merit  its  due  reward.' 

As  to  the  works  King  Charles  set  him  to  do,  he  writes — 
4  At  the  same  time  several  projects  of  great  utility  were 
4  laid  before  the  King,  and  he  directed  me  to  assist  Polhem  in 
4  their  execution.  Amongst  them  was  the  dock  at  Carlscrona 
4  which  we  blasted  out  of  the  granite  rock,  for  laying  down 
4  the  keels  of  ships ;  and  as  there  is  no  ebb  and  flow  in  the 
4  Baltic  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  works  in  Europe:  also, 
4  the  making  of  sluices  between  Lake  Wener  and  Gottenburg, 
4  in  the  midst  of  the  rapids  and  cataracts  near  Trolhalta,  a 
4  work  which  would  have  been  the  admiration  of  the  world  if 
4  it  had  been  completed:  to  say  nothing  of  many  other  equally 
4  useful  projects.' 

Charles  was  so  pleased  with  his  two  engineers,  that  to  seal 
their  partnership  he  advised  Polhem  to  give  Emanuel  one 
of  his  daughters  in  marriage.  This  Polhem  was  very  willing 
to  do,  and  Emanuel  very  willing  to  have  done ;  for  living 
in  Polhem's  house,  he  had  become  enamoured  of  his  second 
daughter,  Emerentia,  a  girl  of  fourteen.  Unhappily,  she  did 
not  care  for  Emanuel,  and  would  not  allow  herself  to  be  be- 
trothed. Her  father,  however,  caused  a  written  agreement 
to  be  drawn  up,  promising  her  to  him  at  some  future  day. 
The  document,  as  an  obedient  child,  Emerentia  signed ;  bat 
her  heart  being  elsewhere,  she  took  to  sighs  and  sadness. 
Her  brother,  moved  by  her  misery,  stole  the  agreement  from 
Emanuel's  desk,  who  soon  missing  it,  as  he  was  used  to  read 


THE  KING  AND  BISHOP  SVEDBERG. 


53 


it  often,  besought  Polhem  to  replace  it  with  a  new  one ;  but 
fully  discovering  the  state  of  Emerentia's  affections,  he  at 
once  relinquished  her  hand,  and  left  her  father's  house. 

In  1717,  Emanuel  published  at  Stockholm  a  pamphlet 
entitled  1  Instruction  concerning  the  Manufacture  of  Tin  Plate 
'  at  Stjernsundj  and  its  use.' 

It  would  appear  from  the  following  letter  addressed  to 
the  King,  that  the  Bishop  and  son  had  united  in  a  mining 
speculation. 

'  Brunsbo,  2  November,  1717. 
'  A  humble  expression  of  gratitude,  and  petition  for  future 
1  favours. 

4  My  son,  Emanuel  Svedberg,  for  whose  advancement  to  an 
i  honourable  office  I  give  humblest  thanks,  has  sent  in  a  hum- 
'  ble  petition  that  I,  together  with  Madame  Maria  Christina 
'  Bonde  (wife  of  the  General)  have  leave  and  opportunity 
4  given  to  establish  a  copper-mine  here,  in  West  Gothland, 
1  on  the  General's  lady's  estate  of  Fremstad,  in  the  district 
4  of  Skaraborg,  and  the  parish  of  Vista.  The  Secretary 
4  Cederholm  has  knowledge  of  the  circumstances. 

4  Jesper  Svedberg.' 

In  December,  1717,  Bishop  Svedberg  went  to  Lund  to  see 
Charles  XII.  He  was  very  kindly  received  by  the  King,  who 
welcomed  him  with  44  Well  Bishop,  you  are  not  changed  since 
44  I  saw  you  last,  only  you  have  grown  very  gray."  He  was 
invited  to  dinner,  and  observed  4  that  the  King  ate  very  quickly, 
4  and  gulped  down  water  upon  everything,  though  it  were  ever 
L  so  fat.'  The  King  had  Svedberg's  health  drunk  in  tumblers 
of  Spanish  wine ;  whereon  his  Majesty  grew  still  more  gracious, 
and  Svedberg  more  out-spoken.  On  the  following  Sunday  he 
preached  before  the  King  and  his  courtiers  one  of  his  plain 
sermons  on  the  desecration  of  Fast  Days,  and  prayed,  that  his 
Majesty  might  be  delivered  from  Rehoboam's  advisers.  1  In 
'  the  evening,'  he  writes,  4 1  was  taken  into  the  King's 
c  own  chamber,  and  there  Prince  Frederick  pleaded,  that  I 


54 


BISHOP  SVEDBEKLi   AND  THE  KIN<;. 


4  might  retain  a  coachman  ;  but  the  King  answered  not  a  word. 
4  Then  spoke  I  boldly  of  the  cruel  grievances  of  the  Clergy, 
4  and  how  a  Bishop,  who  mav  walk  abreast  of  a  Governor,  is 
4  not  allowed  a  coachman,  whilst  a  Governor  drives  to  Church 
4  with  a  coachman  and  two  tall  footmen  behind  ;  whilst  I,  a 
4  Bishop,  have  to  travel,  and  make  visitations  without  any  one 
4  to  drive  or  serve  :  but  to  this  also  the  King  answered  obi  a 
4  word.'  Charles  stopped  the  torrent  of  complaints  by  speaking 
of  the  Swedish  language,  and  praising  Svedberg's  efforts  to 
restore  and  preserve  its  purity.  44  Do  they  speak  Swedish  in 
44  France  ?"  asked  the  King.  44  Xo,"  said  Svedberg.  kfc  Then, 
44  why  should  we  speak  French?"  he  rejoined.  He  then  in- 
quired if  there  were  any  foreign  words  in  the  Swedish  Bible, 
and  Svedberg  said  there  was  a  few,  and  took  out  his  pocket 
Bible  to  show  them,  telling  the  King  that  he  never  entered 
the  pidpit  without  that  Bible,  and  always  carried  it  about  when 
on  duty  even  as  a  soldier  did  his  sword,  and  44  whoever  finds 
"  me  without  it  may  knock  me  down  !"  Charles  some  days 
afterwards  met  him  and  said  44  Show  me  your  Bible."  44 1  have 
44  not  got  it,"  said  he.  44  Then  I  will  knock  you  down."  44  But," 
said  Svedberg,  44 1  am  not  now  on  duty."  A  pamphlet  by  one 
Hjame  he  found  on  the  King's  table,  written  against  his  4  Shib- 
4  boleth\sLiu\  ridiculing  his  enthusiasm  for  pure  Swedish,  which 
worried  him  very  much,  and  he  would  have  liked  to  have 
it  suppressed  ;  but  had  to  content  himself  with  Charles's  ap- 
proval and  sympathy. 

Concerning  this  we  find  Emanuel  writing  to  Benzelius — 

4  Brunsbo,  14  January,  1718. 

4  Iffy  dear  father  has  not  yet  returned  ;  he  is  expected  to-day 
4  or  to-morrow,  when  we  shall  hear  a  budget  of  news.  He  has 
4  been  well  received  by  his  Majesty,  and  dined  three  times  at 
4  his  table,  he  preached  before  him  on  the  second  Sunday  in 
4  Advent,  and  conversed  with  him  several  times.  He  also 
4  preached  in  Malmo,  where  the  people  almost  tore  the  Church 
1  in  sunder  to  hear  him.    On  his  return  to  Lund,  he  talked  with 


THE  KING   AND  EMANUEL. 


55 


1  the  King,  and  received  orders  to  argue  his  (  Shibboleth'1;  many 
1  persons  opposed  it,  nevertheless  it  took  place,  but  the  result  I 
4  do  not  know.  The  King  lent  my  father  his  copy  of  Hjarne's 
1  slanderous  pamphlet.  What  must  we  do  with  this  Hjarne  ? 
1  Is  it  to  be  borne,  that  he  should  have  the  impudence  to  make 
1  such  a  personal  attack  upon  him !  If  he  had  supported  his 
4  case  with  facts  and  arguments,  all  well ;  but  he  only  riots  in 
'  abuse  and  mere  assertions.' 

Charles  XII.,  after  his  escape  from  Stralsund,  left  his 
German  provinces  to  their  fate,  and  made  war  on  Norway. 
In  1716  he  advanced  as  far  as  Christiana,  but  was  compelled 
to  retreat  and  renew  his  plans.  In  1718,  he  resolved  to  lay 
siege  to  Frederickshall,  an  important  Norwegian  fortress,  and 
called  Emanuel's  engineering  skill  to  his  assistance.  On  car- 
riages of  his  own  invention  he  wheeled  1  two  galleys,  five  large 
4  boats  and  a  sloop,'  overland  from  Stromstadt  to  Idorfjol,  a 
distance  of  fourteen  miles.  Under  cover  of  these  vessels,  the 
King  was  enabled  to  transport  on  pontoons  heavy  artillery 
under  the  walls  of  Frederickshall.  In  a  letter  to  Benzelius 
at  this  time,  he  says — 

4  Wennersborg,  14  September,  1718. 
*  I  found  his  Majesty  very  gracious  to  me,  more  so  than  I 
4  could  expect,  which  is  a  good  omen  for  the  future.  Count 
'  Mornir  also  shewed  me  all  the  favour  I  could  possibly  desire. 
4  Every  day  I  laid  mathematical  subjects  before  his  Majesty, 
4  who  allowed  everything  to  please  him.  When  the  eclipse 
4  took  place,  I  had  his  Majesty  out  to  see  it,  and  we  reasoned 
4  much  thereupon.  He  again  spoke  of  my  <•  Deeded  as,'  and  re- 
4  marked  on  my  not  continuing  the  work,  to  which  I  pleaded 
4  want  of  money ;  this  he  does  not  like  to  hear  of,  so  I  hope 
4  to  have  some  assistance  shortly.  With  respect  to  brother 
4  Esberg  (his  nephew),  I  shall  endeavour  to  find  him  employ- 
4  ment  on  the  sluice  works.  I  wish  my  little  brother  (his 
4  nephew  Eric)  was  grown  up.  I  think  I  am  already  in  a 
4  condition  to  begin  sluice  work  for  myself,  and  when  I  have 


5G 


KING  CHARLES  BEFORE  FREDERICKS  HALL. 


1  my  own  command,  I  shall  be  able  to  serve  both  of  them. 
1  My  pay  on  the  sluice  works  at  present  is  only  three  silver 
1  dollars  a  day ;  I  hope  soon  to  have  more.' 

The  King  wished  to  take  him  with  him  to  Frederickshall, 
about  which  he  exclaims  to  Benzelius — u  God  be  thanked  ! 
u  I  have  escaped  the  campaign  in  Norway,  and  that  very 
M  narrowly,  nor  should  I  have  been  so  fortunate,  had  I  not 
u  used  some  little  management." 

Charles  had  worn  out  his  people's  patience  with  his  fruit- 
less and  wasteful  wars,  and  was  nearing  the  very  verge  of 
even  their  superstitious  loyalty.  War,  in  company  with  him 
was  no  pastime,  for  in  all  hardship  and  danger  he  was  fore- 
most, and  expected  those,  who  formed  his  staff  to  imitate  him. 
In  this  Norwegian  siege  soldiers  dropped  dead  at  their  posts, 
and  the  army  was  nearly  frozen  to  death.  But  the  conduct 
of  Charles  shamed  all  discontent  into  silence.  He  slept  in  the 
open  air  on  a  truss  of  straw  or  a  plank,  and  fasted,  and  worked 
night  and  day,  as  if  his  body  existed  outside  the  common  laws 
of  Nature.  All  the  endurance,  the  vigour  and  the  daring  of 
Sparta  seemed  revived  in  him. 

His  last  day  in  this  world  had  however  come.  On  the 
night  of  the  11th  of  December,  1718,  he  went  out  to  inspect 
the  progress  of  the  trenches.  Not  finding  the  parallels  so  far 
advanced  as  he  expected,  he  was  much  displeased.  M.  Megret, 
a  French  engineer,  who  conducted  the  siege,  assured  him  that 
the  place  would  be  taken  in  eight  days.  u  We  shall  see,"  he 
said,  and  proceeded  in  his  survey.  Stopping  at  an  angle  of 
the  entrenchments,  he  kneeled  down,  rested  his  elbow  on 
the  parapet,  and  there,  with  his  body  exposed  to  the  fire  of 
the  besieged,  he  remained  watching  his  men  working  in  the 
trenches  by  star-light.  In  this  position,  he  was  struck  on 
the  forehead  by  a  cannon-ball,  his  hand  clutched  his  sword, 
and  with  a  deep  sigh  he  fell  dead  on  the  parapet.  His 
attendants  rushed  forward,  lifted  his  body,  and  Megret  ex- 
claimed, "There,  the  play  is  over;  let  us  begone." 


DEATH  OF  CHARLES  XII. 


57 


Thus  died  Charles  XII.  in  his  37th  year,  the  last  of  the 
Swedish  Kings  and  the  most  thorough  warrior,  perhaps,  earth 
has  ever  known.  Dead  to  men,  we  have  not  done  with  him  ; 
ere  long  we  shall  meet  him  again  in  this  book. 


(    58  ) 


CHAPTER  VI 


BUSINESS  AND  SPECULATIONS  (JF  3WEDENBOBG. 


Ulrika  EleONORA,  sister  to  Charles  XII.,  succeeded  to  the 
throne,  but  soon  after  resigned  the  crown  to  her  husband, 
Frederick,  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel.  Shortly  after  her 
accession,  in  1719,  she  complied  with  Bishop  Svedberg's 
pertinacious  prayer,  and  ennobled  his  sons.  On  this  occasion 
Emanuel's  surname  was  altered  from  Svedberg  to  Swedenborg. 
As  is  well  known,  the  Swedish  Diet,  or  Parliament  consists  of 
four  houses:  the  nobles,  the  clergy,  the  burghers,  and  the 
peasants  or  landholders,  who  are  not  nobles.  The  house 
of  nobles  is  composed  of  upwards  of  two  thousand  heads  of 
noble  families,  and  it  was  into  this  crowd  that  Emanuel  was 
elevated,  but  was  thereby  created,  neither  Coimt,  nor  Baron, 
as  some  persist  in  calling  him. 

Sweden  had  suffered  so  cruelly  from  the  despotic  ride  of 
Charles  XII.,  that  the  Diet  resolved  to  put  some  effective 
checks  on  the  kingly  power.  To  this  Bishop  Svedberg  was 
warmly  opposed.  He  thought,  that  absolute  power  belonged 
to  the  King  by  Divine  right,  and  he  saw  many  administrative 
advantages  in  the  King's  will  being  supreme :  one  had  only  to 
gain  access  to  the  King  and  hear  his  Yea  or  Nay,  instead  of 
running  from  office  to  office,  and  enduring  delay  after  delay, 
when  the  least  matter  required  attention  or  execution  ;  he 
therefore  vehemently  denounced  any  change,  saying  in  the 
Diet,  that  u  No  King  was  read  of  in  Scripture  with  the  limited 
u  power,  you  would  give  the  Queen,  and  I  abhor  the  ambition 
u  of  men,  who  aspire  to  be  Kings  of  Kings."  His  opposition 
was  construed  into  selfishness  :  Kings  and  Queens  had  proved 


KING   FREDERICK  AND  SVEDBERG. 


59 


very  beneficial  to  him,  and  it  was  no  more  than  natural  that 
he  should  favour  their  extreme  power.  More  virulent  in- 
sinuations were  made,  in  reply  to  which  he  closed  one  of  his 
speeches  before  the  Diet  in  these  words — u  I  have  gathered 
"  my  gray  hairs  in  honour,  and  in  honour  I  shall  carry  them 
"  to  the  grave.  As  long  as  the  17th  and  27th  Psalms  are  in 
M  the  Psalter,  no  one,  however  mighty  he  may  fancy  himself, 
u  can  harm  a  hair  of  my  head.  This  campaign  against  me  did 
u  not  commence  yesterday,  or  the  day  before,  but  thirty  years 
u  ago,  and  spite  of  all  enmity,  I  have  risen  to  where  I  now 
11  sit.  I  know,  that  my  Angel  will  receive  command  from  God 
"  to  prepare  a  crown  for  me,  when  the  hour  of  my  departure 
u  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  comes.  Meantime,  here  I  sit  in 
tk  my  place  of  honour,  fearless,  and  full  of  joy  and  praise." 

The  royal  power  was  circumscribed.  Although  Bishop 
Svcdberg  enjoyed  much  court  favour,  he  had  no  high  opinion 
of  Ulrika  Eleonora,  whom  he  thought  1  a  great  hypocrite,7  and 
her  consort  Frederick  '  good  for  little.'  With  both  he  used 
great  freedom.  To  King  Frederick  he  said  one  day,  "  Your 
u  Majesty  must  not  take  it  ungraciously,  if  I  tell  you  what 
"  people  say  about  you."  "  Not  at  all.  What  do  they  say  ?" 
u  That  your  Majesty  gives  away  too  much  money."  "  That 
"  may  be  true  ;"  said  the  King,  "but  they  should  remember, 
u  that  if  I  give  away  one  Swedish  ducat,  I  receive  14,000  ducats 
"  a  year  from  my  own  Hesse  Cassel — But  what  more  do  they 
u  say  ?"  u  They  say  your  Majesty  very  seldom  visits  your 
"  Council."  u  Ah,  that  is  true,  and  not  to  be  wondered  at ;  for 
u  there  I  find  I  have  sixteen  tutors,  every  one  more  impatient 
"  than  another,  to  instruct  and  govern  me." 

Sometimes  he  ventured  too  far  in  his  freedom,  and  in  1720 
he  provoked  the  Queen  to  write  him  a  sharp  letter  threatening 
him  with  her  displeasure,  if  he  sent  her  1  any  more  of  his  indecent 
4  and  uncivil  epistles,  in  disregard  of  that  reverence  which  was 
4  due  from  a  subject.' 

The  King  and  Queen  visited  Bishop  Svedberg  in  the  Autumn 


60 


THE  BISHOP^  THIRD  MAKKIAUE. 


of  1722  at  Brunsbo,  and  spent  some  days  with  him,  filling  his 
palace  with  their  retinue.  1  At  their  departure,'  he  writes, 
f  they  gave  me  one  hundred  ducats,  a  coronation  medal  of  pure 
4  gold  weighing  thirty-nine  ducats,  and  my  wife  a  silver  salver 
(  and  ewer  weighing  about  forty-five  oimces,  and  ten  ducats  for 
1  gilding.' 

The  wife  here  mentioned  was  his  third.  His  second,  Sara 
Bcrgia,  died  at  Skara  on  the  3rd  of  March,  1720,  and  before 
the  year  was  out,  on  Christmas-day,  he  married  Christina 
Arhusia,  the  daughter  of  John  Arhusius,  the  Dean  of  Fahlun. 
Concerning  this  third  marriage  in  his  sixty-seventh  year  he 
makes  this  note — 

'  My  dear  wife,  Sara  Svedberg,  died  in  the  year  1720,  to 
'  my  great  grief  and  loss.  My  circumstances,  and  my  extensive 
4  household  required  a  faithful  companion,  whom  God  gave  me 
1  in  Christina  Arhusia.  May  God  bless  us  both  in  the  name  of 
4  Jesus.    Amen !' 

In  1718  Emanuel  issued  three  pamphlets  written  in  Swedish. 
'  1.  Attempts  to  find  the  Longitude  by  means  of  the 
4  Moon,  set  forth  for the  judgment  of 'the  Learned.  Ujisala.'' 
In  a  letter  to  Benzelius  he  proposes  translating  this  '  into 
4  Latin  for  foreign  circulation,  and  dedicating  it  to  Edmund 
1  Halley,  at  Oxford,  who  has  likewise  done  something  in  the 
4  same  way.1 

4  2.  The  Art  of  Rules,  in  ten  parts.  Uj^salaS 
This  was  an  introduction  to  Algebra  :  a  continuation  of  the 
treatise,  containing  the  first  accoimt  given  in  Sweden  of  the 
differential  and  integral  calculus,  was  handed  about  in  manu- 
script, but  never  printed. 

4  3.  On  the  Motion  and  Position  of  the  Earth  and  the 
1  Planets  :  in  rchich  are  some  conclusive  pr vofs,  that  the 
4  Earth's  course  decreases  in  rapidity,  being  now  slower 
4  than  heretofore  ;  maki/.g  winter  nights  and  summer  days 
1  longer  than  they  used  to  be.  Skara.  Dedicated  to  Prince 
4  Frederick.  10  Deccmher,  1718.' 


PAMPHLETS  AND  SPECULATIONS. 


61 


In  1719  he  published  other  three. 

4 1 .  On  the  Level  of  the  Sea  and  the  great  Tides  of  the 
4  Ancient  World,  from  Proofs  in  Sweden.  Upsala.  Dedi- 
4  catedto  Queen  Ulrika  Eleonora  on  her  coronation  day.'' 
1  2.  Information  about  Docks,   Sluices  and  Salt 
1  Works.  Stockholm.'' 

4  3.  A  Proposal  for  the  Division  of  Money  and 
4  Measures,  so  as  to  facilitate  Calculation^  and  avoid 
4  Fractions.  Stockholm.'* 
Benzelius  advised  him  to  relinquish  his  last  scheme  for 
a  new  system  of  money  and  measures  as  impracticable,  to 
which,  in  a  letter,  he  replies — 

4  It  is  a  little  discouraging  to  be  dissuaded  thus.  For 
4  myself,  I  desire  all  possible  novelties,  aye,  a  novelty  for 
4  every  day  in  the  year,  provided  the  world  will  be  pleased 
4  with  them.  In  every  age  there  is  an  abundance  of  persons, 
4  who  follow  the  beaten  tract,  and  remain  in  the  old  way;  but 
4  perhaps  there  are  only  from  six  to  ten  in  a  century,  who 
4  bring  forward  new  things,  founded  in  argument  and  reason.' 

In  another  letter  he  answers  Benzelius,  who  advances  the 
notion,  that  the  Sun  is  the  abode  of  the  damned — 

4  Stockholm,  26  November,  1719. 
4 1  think  exactly  the  opposite.    It  ought  rather  to  be  the 
4  abode  of  the  blest.    The  following  are  my  reasons — 

4  1.  The  Sun  is  the  centre  of  our  planetary  system,  and 
4  the  motion  and  subsistence  of  everything  in  the  solar  vortex 
4  has  its  source  from  the  Sun. — 2.  The  firmament  and  heaven 
4  of  the  Planets  are  towards  the  Sun — upwards  in  the  solar 
4  vortex  is  towards  the  Sun,  downwards  is  away  from  the 
4  Sun,  towards  the  end  of  the  solar  vortex,  or  the  Tartarian 
4  regions. — 3.  Light  and  splendour  are  in  the  Sun,  and  dark- 
4  ness  and  its  horrors  are  where  the  Sun  is  far  off  and  dim. — 
4  4.  But  the  main  reason  appears  to  be,  that  the  most  exceed- 
4  ingly  subtle  aura,  and  the  minimal  element  exist  in  the  Sun. 
4  The  nearer  the  Sun,  the  finer  are  the  elements.    In  the  Sun 


62 


lb  HELL  IN  Tin:  BUN? 


4  itself  their  fineness  is  probably  so  great,  that  the  particles  are 
4  almost  devoid  of  composition,  and  put  off  the  name  of  Matter, 
*  as  well  as  form,  weight  and  many  other  qualities,  which  com- 
4  pound  particles  possess ;  it  would  therefore  seem  likelv,  that 
4  in  the  Sun — the  finest  sphere — would  be  the  finest  1  icing — a 
4  God,  an  Angel — a  something,  which  as  it  is  not  material, 
4  must  be  most  eminent.  Like  seeks  like,  and  the  finer  docs 
4  not  unite  with  grosser.  For  these  reasons,  I  rather  incline 
4  to  believe,  (though  I  willingly  leave  the  point  to  your  judg- 
4  meat)  that  God  has  His  seat  in  the  Sun,  as  the  Bible  says. 

4  It  would  be  absurd  to  imagine,  that  the  Sun's  heat  is  used 
4  to  torment  the  bodies  of  the  damned.  In  the  nature  of 
4  things,  there  is  no  pain  without  destruction.  When  fire  bums 
4  our  flesh,  it  dissolves  and  destroys  the  flesh ;  and  with  its 
4  destruction  ends  the  possibility  of  sensation,  and  therefore, 
4  of  pain. 

4  1  hope  no  evil  sense  may  be  put  upon  these  reasonings 
1  of  mine.  The  Word  of  God  is  the  only  foundation  for 
4  philosophy.' 

In  these  words  we  see  the  germs  of  some  thoughts,  which 
he  afterwards  developed  in  volumes. 

At  this  time  he  was  neither  happy  in  his  home,  nor  satisfied 
with  his  work,  or  prospects  in  life.    To  Benzelius  he  writes — 

4  Among  all  my  relations  I  know  of  no  one,  who  has  wished 
4  me,  and  still  wishes  me,  so  well  as  yourself.  If  I  can  in  any 
4  way  shew  my  gratitude,  it  shall  not  be  wanting.  Brother 
4  (in-law)  Unge  likes  nobody ;  at  least,  he  has  estranged  my 
4  dear  father  and  mother's  affections  from  me  now  for  four 
4  years.    However,  it  will  not  benefit  himself.' 

He  feels  he  is  not  appreciated — 

4  Stockholm,  1  December,  1719. 

4  Should  I  be  able  to  collect  the  necessary  means,  I  have 
4  made  up  my  mind  to  go  abroad,  and  seek  my  fortune  in 
4  mining.  He  must  indeed  be  a  fool,  who  is  loose  and 
4  irresolute,  who  sees  his  place  abroad,  yet  remains  in  obscurity. 


MELANCHOLY,  FOR  HE  TS  OUT  OF  PLACE.  63 


4  and  wretchedness  at  home,  where  the  furies,  Envy  and 
'  Pinto,  have  taken  np  their  abode,  and  dispose  of  all  rewards, 
1  where  all  the  trouble  I  have  taken  is  awarded  with  such 
1  shabbiness ! 

4  Before  my  time  of  departure  arrives,  I  only  desire  quiet- 
{  ness,  and  perhaps  I  may  find  a  corner  of  retreat  in  Starbo 
4  or  Skinsburg.  All  wTill  depend  on  a  respite  of  four  or  five 
4  years ;  yet  I  clearly  see  that  long  plans  are  like  long  roofs, 
4  apt  to  tumble  in  ;  for  man  proposes  ;  but  God  disposes.  I 
1  have  however  always  thought  that  a  man  should  know  what 
4  he  is  aiming  at,  and  ever  have  a  clear  design  for  life  and 
4  business  before  him.' 

Again — 

4 1  have  taken  a  little  leisure  this  summer  to  put  a  few 
4  things  on  paper,  which  I  think  will  be  my  last  productions  ; 
1  for  speculations  and  inventions  like  mine  find  no  patronage, 
i  nor  bread  in  Sweden,  and  are  considered  by  a  number  of 
4  political  blockheads  as  a  sort  of  school-boy  exercise,  which 
4  ought  to  stand  quite  in  the  back  ground,  while  their  finesse 
1  and  intrigues  step  forward.' 

These  melancholy  humours  were  dissipated  by  a  tour  of 
fifteen  months  on  the  Continent,  commencing  in  the  Spring  of 
1721.  He  took  with  him,  as  a  companion,  John  Hessel,  a 
physician,  and  a  large  bundle  of  manuscript,  which,  as  soon  as 
he  arrrived  at  Amsterdam,  he  put  to  press. 

In  May  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Jacob  a  Melle,  a  savan  of 
Lubeck,  describing  some  marine  deposits  in  Sweden,  and  the 
retreat  of  the  Baltic,  by  which  towns  were  left  high  and  dry, 
which  once  stood  on  the  sea  shore.  Some  tracts  of  land, 
formed  of  sand,  pebbles  and  shells,  he  concludes  were  once 
the  bed  of  the  ocean.  Hills  and  valleys,  he  thinks,  were 
formed  by  the  strong  currents  of  the  ancient  seas.  The 
enormous  water-worn  boulders  scattered  over  the  soil  of  many 
Swedish  provinces,  he  takes  to  be  evidences  of  the  immense 
force  of  the  currents  in  that  sea.    Modern  geologists,  granting 


64 


PUBLICATIONS  AT  AMSTERDAM. 


the  water,  maintain  that  its  currents  were  unequal  to  the 
carriage  of  these  erratic  boulders,  and  that  they  must  have 
been  floated  from  cliffs  and  hill-sides  attached  to  icebergs,  and 
dropped  irregularly  as  the  ice  dissolved. 
He  concludes — 

'  It  is  most  pleasant  to  search  out  the  causes  of  things, 
1  and  to  listen  to  those,  who  have  the  genius  to  penetrate  the 
1  secrets  of  Nature,  and  the  industry  to  evolve  the  xVncient 
1  from  the  Modern  World.' 

The  letter  was  printed  in  the  1  Acta  Literaria  Suecicef  a 
repository  of  literary  and  scientific  papers,  edited  by  some 
Swedish  virtuosos,  to  which  Swedenborg  contributed.  Towards 
the  end  of  1721  he  published  in  Latin,  at  Amsterdam,  the 
following  pamphlets : — 

(  1.  Specimens  of  a  Work  on  the  Principles  of  Natural 
4  Philosophy ,  comprising  New  Attempts  to  explain  the 
i  Phenomena  of  Chemistry  and  Physics  by  Geometry.'' 

{  2.  New  Observations  and  Discoveries  respecting  Iron 
1  and  Fire,  and  particularly  respecting  the  Elemental 
1  Nature  of  Fire  :  together  with  a  New  Construction  of 
<  Stoves.' 

1  3.  A  New  Method  of  Finding  the  Longitudes  of 
c  Places  on  Land  or  at  Sea  by  Lunar  Observations.' 

'  4.  A  New  Mechanical  Plan  of  Constructing  Docks 
1  and  Dykes' 

1  5.  A  Mode  of  Discovering  the  Powers  of  Vessels  by 
1  the  Application  of  Mechanical  Principles.' 
The  treatise  on  Chemistry  is  accurately  entitled *  Sptecimcns:' 
it  is  composed  of  chapters  taken  from  a  complete  manuscript 
work,  which  at  this  day  rests  in  the  library  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Sciences  in  Stockholm.  The  1  Specimens '  com- 
mence with  Part  VIII.  and  continues  to  Part  XIV.,  where  an 
article  on  Colours  intervenes,  and  then  Part  XXV.  concludes 
the  whole,  with  the  promise  that  the  rest  will  be  published 
i  God  willing,  at  another  opportunity. 1 


CHEMISTRY  IS  ATOMIC  MECHANICS. 


65 


A  schoolmaster  was  once  asked,  "  Why  are  cream  and 
"sugar  put  into  tea?"  and  he  answered,  "To  render  the 
"  acute  angles  of  the  tea  more  obtuse."  His  reply  involves 
and  illustrates  Swedenborg's  theory  of  Chemistry. 

His  doctrine  was,  that  the  invisible  atoms,  with  which  the 
chemist  deals  are  geometrical  forms,  and  that  chemical  phe- 
nomena are  to  be  explained  by  geometrical  laws.  L  For,'  he 
asks,  4  what  are  Physics  and  Chemistry  ?  What  is  their 
'  nature,  if  not  a  peculiar  mechanism  ?  What  is  there  in 
1  Nature,  which  is  not  geometrical  ?  What  is  the  variety  of 
1  experiments  in  Chemistry,  but  a  variety  of  position,  figure, 
1  weight  and  motion  in  particles  ? ' 

He  continues — *  The  reader  will  be  equally  astonished  with 
1  myself,  that  the  knowledge  of  invisibles  has  remained  hidden 
f  from  the  learned  world  up  to  the  present  time,  when  so  many 
1  experiments  respecting  them  are  on  record.  If  we  look  to 
1  Physics,  we  shall  find,  that  it  abounds  in  experiments  and 
1  discoveries.  More  light  has  been  shed  upon  Physics-  in  the 
1  way  of  experiment  during  the  last  century,  than  in  any 
L  previous  age :  indeed,  ^so  far  as  facts  are  concerned,  Physics 
1  have  reached  a  meridian  degree  of  brightness.  If  we  consider 
1  Chemistry,  with  what  experiments  is  it  not  enriched !  So 
1  greatly  has  it  exercised  the  industry  of  the  learned,  that  we 
'  possess  thousands  of  guides  towards  penetrating  its  secrets. 
£  If  Geometry,  to  what  a  height  has  it  not  been  carried  by  the 

*  men  of  science  of  our  time !  It  seems  indeed  to  have  scaled 
1  the  sacred  hill,  and,  for  all  human  purposes,  to  have  attained 
1  the  utmost  perfection. 

4  Since  then  we  have  several  thousand  experiments  indi- 
1  eating  the  nature  of  the  various  metals,  salts  and  elements, 
4  and  since  these  bodies  consist  of  groups  of  particles,  varying 

*  in  their  shapes  and  positions  in  a  certain  geometrical  arrange- 
1  ment ;  therefore  we  have  every  reason  to  conclude,  that  the 
1  law  of  their  structure  may  now  be  demonstrated.' 

In  illustration  of  his  theory  he  adduces  many  experiments 

F 


66 


CHEMISTRY  AND  THH  LONGITUDE. 


taken  from  Boyle,  Boerhaave,  and  others,  and  some  original ; 
and  by  a  free  use  of  diagrams  makes  himself  clearly  under- 
stood. The  experiments  in  these  times  would  he  considered 
absurdly  crude,  and  imperfect ;  but  the  pith  and  merit  of  the 
1  Specimens  '  lies  in  its  theory  of  the  geometrical  forms  of  atoms: 
and  the  century  of  research,  which  has  followed  Swedenborg, 
has  done  much  to  sustain,  and  justify  his  speculation. 

He  only  cursorily  states  his  doctrine  of  colour  in  the 
1  Specimens,1  but  it  should  be  here  noted  ;  for  he  held  it 
throughout  his  life,  and  freely  applied  its  analogies  in  spiritual 
regions.  Colour  he  attributes  to  the  forms  of  the  particles 
of  bodies  on  which  light  falls,  and  by  which  it  is  absorbed, 
reflected  and  refracted  in  modes  as  infinite  as  there  are  shades 
of  colour. 

{  The  Xew  Observations  and  Discoveries  respecting  Iron 
L  and  Fire1  are  mainly  technical,  4  from  actual  data,  collected 
f  from  the  workmen  at  a  large  iron  furnace.'  Than  the 
1  Elemental  Nature  of  Fire,1  he  says,  4  no  question  can  be  more 
4  embarrassing.  The  mechanism  of  fire,  the  forms  of  its 
4  particles,  and  its  theory  have  produced  the  most  bewildering 
4  speculation.'  His  own  notion  is,  4  that  the  particles  of  fire 
4  are  bullular,  most  elastic,  and  exquisitely  mobile.' 

The  4  Xew  Method  of  Finding  the  Longitude  of  Places,  on 
4  Land,  or  at  Sea,  by  Lunar  Observations,1  is  a  Latin  version 
of  his  Swedish  pamphlet  of  1718.  The  plan  was  to  deduce 
the  longitude  from  the  apparent  position  of  the  moon  if  in  a 
line,  or  at  some  angle  with  at  least  two  visible  fixed  stars, 
whose  exact  angular  distances  from  the  Moon  for  that  moment, 
as  seen  from  some  fixed  place  (as  Greenwich  or  Paris)  were 
marked  in  an  astronomical  Almanack  or  '  Ephcmeris,'  the 
difference  between  the  registered  and  observed  distances  being 
cleared  of  paralax  and  refraction,  and  reduced  to  degrees  and 
minutes,  and  thence  to  miles  east  or  west,  gave  the  longitude 
of  the  place  of  observation,  or  its  distance  east  or  west  from 
Such  fixed  point  or  meridian.      This  method  was  adopted 


PUBLISHES  MORE  PAMPHLETS. 


67 


with  success  by  some  mariners,  until  Harrison's  chronometers 
smoothed  away  most  of  the  difficulties. 

Swedenborg's  visit  to  Amsterdam  was  prompted  by  the 
desire  to  bring  his  pamphlets  under  the  notice  of  the  learned 
men  of  Europe,  and  at  the  same  time  to  avail  himself  of  the 
services  of  Dutch  printers  and  engravers  in  their  production. 
The  printer,  Joannem  Ooosterwyk,  whom  he  employed  served 
him  very  badly  ;  his  typographical  errata  are  shamefully 
numerous. 

Boerhaave  was  in  1721  at  the  height  of  his  fame,  and 
lecturing  as  professor  of  chemistry  and  botany  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Leyden.  To  him  Swedenborg  would,  there  is 
little  question,  present  his  packet  of  printed  observation  and 
speculation,  and  have  some  generous  discussion  on  matters  of 
profound  interest  to  both. 

From  Amsterdam,  Swedenborg  set  out  for  Leipsic  through 
Liege,  Aix-la-Chapelle,  and  Cologne,  visiting  the  mines  and 
smelting  works,  which  lay  in  his  route.  From  Liege,  29  No- 
vember, 1721,  he  sent  home  a  paper,  L  New  Rules  for  Main- 
6  taining  Heat  in  Rooms  J  which  was  printed  in  the  L  Acta 
c  Literaria  SveciceS  In  it  he  maintains,  that  wooden  houses 
are  warmer  than  stone  ones,  and  brick  than  stone,  if  well 
built;  and  advises  that  where  warmth  is  desired,  brick  or  stone 
walls  should  be  lined  with  wainscot,  or  hung  with  tapestry. 

At  Leipsic  in  1722,  he  published  in  three  parts,  '  Miscel- 
c  laneous  Observations]  dedicated  to  Count  Gustavus  Bonde, 
President  of  the  Royal  Metallic  College  of  Sweden ;  and  in 
the  same  year  at  Schiffbeck,  near  Hamburg,  a  fourth  part, 
dedicated  to  the  Duke  of  Brunswick :  all  copiously  illustrated 
with  engravings. 

The  '  Observations'1  are  gossip  on  a  few  out  of  the  many 
scientific  plans  and  fancies  seething  in  his  brain.  We  find 
in  them  remarks  on  the  marine  origin  of  some  Swedish 
mountains;  proofs,  that  what  is  now  dry  land  was  once  sea 
bottom,  from  fossils  found  by  him  and  Dr.  Hessel  at  Aix-la- 

F  2 


68 


M  MISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATION'S." 


Chapelle — on  the  world  at  one  time  being  a  vast  globe  of 
water — on  the  origin,  temperature  and  saline  components  of 
hot  springs — on  vitrification  or  the  change  of  particles  into 
glass — on  the  decomposition  of  stones  by  air  and  moisture — on 
the  entrance  and  egress  of  liquids,  4  as  for  example  water  and 
4  fire,'  into  and  from  hard  bodies — on  stoves,  fire-places,  and 
wind  and  draught  furnaces — on  the  cure  of  smoky  chimneys — 
on  an  air-pump  worked  by  mercury — on  cheap  methods  of 
salt-making — on  a  new  mode  of  weighing  metals — on  the  glass 
of  Archimedes — on  an  instrument  for  discovering  the  propor- 
tions of  mixed  metals  mechanically  without  any  calculation — 
on  the  impossibility  of  transmuting  metals,  especially  into 
gold — on  the  reasons  why  the  blood  circulates  through  the 
capillaries  more  easily  than  through  the  arteries — that  particles 
are  geometrical  forms,  and  chemistry  and  organization  are  to 
be  explained  on  geometrical  principles — that  there  is  no  central 
fire  in  the  earth,  et  cetera. 

The  fourth  part  of  the  1  Observations'  gives  an  account  of 
4  the  new  system  of  Notation,  based  on  the  number  64,  invented 
4  by  Charles  XII.,  of  glorious  memory,'  and  of  the  minerals, 
iron  and  stalactites  of  Baumann's  Caverns.  The  dedication 
to  Ludwig  Rudolph,  Duke  of  Brunswick  and  Luneburg,  is 
after  the  extravagant  fashion  of  the  time — which  to  us,  irreve- 
rent modems,  looks  like  quizzing,  elegantly  done  :  it  runs 
thus — 

4  Most  Serene  Prince, — The  following  pages  are  too  unim- 
4  portant  to  constitute  a  worthy  offering  to  your  Highness,  at 
1  whose  feet  the  great  works  of  the  masters  of  learning  are 
4  deserving  to  be  laid,  but  as  small  tilings  frequently  afford 
1  pleasure  to  illustrious  men,  and  as  your  Highness  is  aware 
4  that  victims  of  slender  value  were  presented  at  the  altars  of 
4  the  gods,  and,  that  a  little  frankincense  was  offered  in  pro- 
4  pitiation  to  these  divinities;  so  I  also,  encouraged  by  such 
4  great  precedents,  am  not  without  hope,  that  these  few  pages, 
4  which  I  have  ventured  to  dedicate  to  your  most  Serene 


RUINED  WITH  PRINTERS'  ERRATA. 


69 


4  Highness,  and  to  place  upon  your  altar,  may  meet  with  a 
4  gracious  reception,  were  it  for  no  other  reason,  than  that  in 
4  part  I  present  you  with  your  own,  with  a  record  derived  from 
4  the  Baumann's  Cavern,  to  which  my  access  was  your  own 
4  most  gracious  permission.  Still  the  greatest  reliance  that  I 
4  have  in  supplicating  your  favour,  is  in  the  knowledge,  that 
4  you  are  as  illustrious  in  spirit  as  in  descent,  as  distinguished 
4  in  mind  as  in  renown,  and,  that  the  world  accords  to  your 
4  personal  virtues  the  same  free  honour  as  to  the  extended 
4  sway  and  imperial  diadem  of  the  Caesars. 

4  If  the  offering  I  bring  is  small,  my  veneration  at  least  is 
4  greater  than  my  offering — nay,  so  great,  that  I  desire  nothing 
4  more  ardently,  than  to  be  permitted  to  be, 

4  Most  Serene  Prince, 
4  Your  mo3t  humble  and  devoted  Servant, 

4  Emanuel  Swedenborg.' 

Duke  Eudolph  was,  if  not  quite  a  demigod,  at  least,  an 
excellent  Prince,  and  took  Swedenborg  imder  his  patronage, 
and  became  very  serviceable  to  him,  as  we  shall  see. 

The  German  printers  served  Swedenborg  even  worse  than 
the  Dutch.  The  4  Miscellanea  Observataf  are  riddled  with 
errata,  and  critics,  too  lazy  to  do  anything  else,  detected  them. 
Indeed,  so  many  were  these  blunders,  that  at  the  head  of  a 
long  list  of  alterations  and  omissions,  he  says,  4  As  innumerable 
4  typographical  errors  have  crept  in,  owing  to  the  negligence 
4  of  the  person  appointed  to  revise  the  press,  the  work  scarcely 
4  admits  of  correction ;  the  reader  would  therefore  do  well  to 
4  throw  it  aside ;  as  a  revised  edition  will  shortly  be  published.' 
A  second  edition  never  appeared. 

At  Midsiimmer,  1722,  Swedenborg  and  Dr.  Hessel  returned 
home,  after  an  absence  of  about  fifteen  months. 


(    70  ) 


CHAPTER  VII. 


TWELVE  YEARS  OF  BUSINESS  AND  SILENCE. 


A  TREATISE  1  On  the  Depreciation,  and  Rise  of  the  Swedish 
'  Currency  J  published  anonymously  at  Stockholm  in  1722, 
terminated  Swedenborg's  desultory  pamphleteering,  and  during 
twelve  years,  from  1722  to  1734,  he  printed  nothing. 

Looking  over  the  packet  of  pamphlets  and  of  letters  he  has 
produced,  we  discern  in  them  a  man  eager  to  know  and  quick 
to  apprehend,  a  ready  learner ;  but  not  one  who  absorbs 
knowledge  implicitly,  and  sits  down  satisfied  ;  but  who  tests 
and  questions  it,  and  who  would  fain  carry  out  every  truth 
to  new  issues,  and  be  an  enlarger  and  discoverer  of  knowledge. 
Though  speculative,  his  speculations  have  all  an  end  towards 
practice,  with  many  adventurous  notions  he  is  yet  so  prosaic 
and  shrewd,  that  you  would  never  call  him  romantic.  His 
tastes  and  pursuits  are  various,  but  they  all. open  into  the 
mechanical  plane.  Religion  is  no  more  in  his  thoughts.  lie  has 
left  the  Angels  of  his  childhood,  not  in  contempt,  but  forgetful- 
ness,  having  other  business  on  hand.  Of  reverence  he  has 
plainly,  little,  of  self-satisfaction,  much  ;  fully  assured  of  his 
own  worth,  we  feel,  that  he  felt  himself  peer  to  any  man. 

It  would  seem  that  in  1722,  he  came  for  the  first  time  into 
the  full  pay  and  exercise  of  his  Assessorship.  We  must  now 
picture  Swedenborg  during  twelve  years  to  come,  from  his 
thirty-fourth  to  his  forty-sixth  year,  as  an  industrious  official 
through  the  day,  and  giving  his  leisure  hours  to  study,  and  the 
composition  of  three  great  folios:  one,  a  laborious  description 


PIETISM  IN  SWEDEN. 


71 


of  the  mode  in  which  matter  was  created,  and  two,  on  the 
processes  by  which  iron  and  copper  were  led  out  of  ore  into 
human  service.  Of  this  long  stretch  in  his  life  we  have  little 
more  to  say.  As  to  who  were  his  companions,  and  what  were 
his  enjoyments  there  is  no  record  known :  quite  likely,  none 
ever  made. 

In  1724  he  was  offered  the  Professorship  of  Mathematics 
in  the  University  of  Upsala,  which  he  declined.  We  may 
learn  his  reason  perhaps  in  this  piece  taken  from  one  of  his 
letters  to  Benzelius — 

'  I  wonder  at  Messieurs  the  mathematicians  having  lost  all 
1  heart  and  spirit  to  realize  that  fine  design  of  yours  for  an 
'  astronomical  observatory.  It  is  the  fatality  of  mathema- 
4  ticians  to  abide  in  theory.  I  have  often  thought  it  would  be 
L  a  capital  thing,  if  to  each  ten  mathematicians  one  good  practical 
1  man  were  added,  to  lead  them  to  market :  he  would  be  of 
1  more  use  and  mark  than  all  the  ten.' 

Bishop  Svedberg  was  meanwhile  busy  as  ever.  The 
Swedish  Church  was  then,  as  now,  dead  in  formalism.  A  few 
earnest  Pietists,  chiefly  among  the  laity,  sought  to  diffuse  a 
Divine  influence,  which  had  stirred  in  their  hearts,  by  meetings 
for  prayer  and  preaching,  held  at  their  own  houses.  As  Me- 
thodism in  England  aroused  the  jealousy  and  opposition  of  the 
Clergy,  so  did  Pietism  in  Sweden.  The  offices  of  religion 
were  held  by  Swedish  and  English  Priests,  in  common  with 
Popish,  to  be  exclusively  their  business ;  and  it  was  sacrilege 
for  vulgar  hands  to  meddle  therewith. 

Svedberg  had  a  kindly  feeling  towards  Pietism.  When  a 
young  man  abroad,  his  heart  yearned  towards  the  German 
Pietists,  and  throughout  life  he  had  been  charged  with  Pietistic 
sympathies. 

The  conduct  of  the  Swedish  Pietists  was  warmly  discussed 
in  the  Diet.  It  chanced  on  one  occasion  that  Svedberg  had 
spread  before  him  on  a  table  in  the  Diet  some  sheets  of  a  Swedish 


72 


BISHOP  BVEDBEBG  AND  THE  PIETISTS. 


translation  of  Scrivcr's  1  Treasure  for  Souls'*  These  sheets 
one  Dr.  Edzberg  spied,  and  rising  in  his  place  he  charged 
Svedberg  with  complicity  in  Pictistic  heresy  j  for,  said  he, 1  Is  he 
1  not  preparing  to  circulate  a  book,  which  is  steeped  in  the 
i  very  spirit  of  Pietism?  '  4  Yet,'  writes  Svedberg,  c  this  same 
1  good  Doctor  daily  attested  his  orthodoxy  by  getting  dnmk  ; 
L  and  pleaded  as  an  excuse,  that  aching  teeth  required  free 
i  libations  of  aqua  nVce.' 

That  he  might  speak  from  experience  Svedberg  attended 
a  conventicle  of  Pietists,  and  the  same  day  rose  in  the  Diet 
and  said — 

L  There  has  been  a  great  deal  spoken  here  in  derision  and 
1  aversion  concerning  these  assemblies  of  Pietists.    I  am  now 

*  the  only  clergyman  present,  and  therefore  must  speak.  I 
1  have  to-day  been  to  a  meeting  of  Pietists,  and  I  only  wish 
1  that  every  master  in  Sweden  held  such  meetings  under  his 
'roof.' 

Against  the  opinion  of  the  Pietists,  that  an  unconverted 
Priest  was  unfit  to  minister  in  sacred  things,  he  protected — 
'  It  was  a  very  dangerous  doctrine.    An  anxious  man  sends 

*  for  a  clergyman,  and  is  by  him  absolved  from  his  sins,  but 


*  Christian  Scriver,  whose  1  Treasure  for  Souls'*  Svedberg  esteemed  'more 
'  than  all  gold  and  silver.'  was  born  at  Rostock  in  1G29,  became  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  St.  James  in  Magdeburg  in  1 607,  and  court  preacher  at  Quedlin- 
burg  in  1G0O,  where  in  1603  he  died.  Scriver,  as  a  preacher,  had  an  amazing 
reputation,  and  his  writings  v.  ere  devoured  wherever  the  German  language 
was  read.  Spener,  a  chief  among  the  Pietists,  said — '  In  Scriver  I  am  sensible 
'  of  a  much  larger  measure  of  grace,  than  has  been  allotted  to  myself.' 
Another  admirer  says  of  him — '  Scriver  evinces  a  profound  piety,  conscious 
'  at  every  moment,  and  in  every  place  of  being  encompassed,  upheld,  and 
'  cherished  by  God.  Scriver  is  always  before  God,  in  God,  and  with  God. 
'  His  life  was  a  life  in  God.  As  he  could  not  but  eat  and  drink,  so  he  could 
1  not  but  pray.'  Scriver  s  writings  are  now  forgotten,  except  by  a  few  curious 
readers.  One  of  his  works,  '  Gotthold's  Emblems,  or  invisible  things  under - 
'  stood  by  things  that  are  made,1  was  translated  from  the  twenty-eighth  German 
edition,  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Menzies,  of  Hoddam,  and  published  in  Edinburgh 
in  1857.  Anyone  who  wishes  to  know  the  kind  of  literature,  in  which  Bishop 
Bredbetg  luxuriated,  will  find  a  good  specimen  in  1  Gotthold's  Emblems.1 


THE  BISHOP  AND  HIS  SON  JESPEK. 


73 


1  afterwards  he  falls  into  doubt  as  to  whether  his  absolution  is 
4  worth  anything ;  since  he  fancies,  the  minister  is  unconverted ; 
4  but  as  a  ducat  loses  nothing  of  its  value  though  tendered  by 
1  an  unclean  hand,  so  absolution  is  not  affected  by  the  character 
4  of  the  administrator.' 

Whilst  defending  the  Pietists,  he  would  not  be  ranked  with 
them — 

'  I  have  never  taken  to  reading  Pietist  books,  for  which  I 
1  had  no  taste,  nor  have  I  had  anything  to  do  with  Pietists ;  but 
'  a  very  great  deal  too  much  with  numerous  Impietists.  Would 
*  to  God  we  were  all  true  Pietists  after  the  pattern  of  St.  Paul 
<  and  St.  Peter !' 

To  Sweden's  great  misfortune  the  Clergy  triumphed.  The 
Pietists  were  condemned,  and  the  Diet  passed  a  law  forbidding 
all  attempts  at  public  worship  outside  the  established  Church. 
This  done  the  Priesthood  at  once  relapsed  into  sleep  with 
security. 

Jesper  Swedenborg,  the  Bishop's  youngest  son,  had  turned 
sailor,  and  after  being  abroad  for  several  years,  returned  to 
Stockholm  in  1724.  His  father  troubled,  that  he  should  have 
reached  thirty  without  any  fixed  purpose  in  life,  writes  to  him 
as  follows — 

£  Brunsbo,  20th  April,  1724. 

*  1  forgot  to  mention  my  dear  wife's  will.  (His  second  wife, 
4  their  step-mother,  who  died  in  1720).  She  had  resolved,  that 
1  at  her  death  Emanuel  should  inherit  her  property  at  Starbo. 
'  When  I  saw  her  dying,  I  reminded  her  of  this.  She  then 
i  repeated  her  resolve  ;  whereon  I  prayed  her  not  to  exclude 
1  my  other  children.  She  answered,  "  They  may  have  equal 
L 11  shares,  but  Emanuel  shall  be  sole  owner  of  Starbo,  provided 
L  u  he  buy  the  others  out."  Of  this  I  have  given  him  an 
i  assurance  for  your  sakes. 

4  You  may  thank  God,  that  you  will  have  a  good  round  sum. 
L  Had  I  so  chosen,  none  of  you,  but  I  alone,  according  to  law, 


74 


NOTIONS  ABOUT  MAKRIAOE. 


'  Rkcwrtd  have  inherited  her  property  ;  but  I  WlAod  vou  well, 
4  and  what  is  more,  I  paid  elaims  to  the  amount  of  6,000  dalers 
4  on  the  estate,  and  will  pay  any  more  whieh  may  come  due, 
i  as  Emanuel  can  tell  you. 

4  This,  you,  aud  not  I,  ought  to  have  done  ;  but  I  am  father, 
'  and  you  children,  and  I  am  ever  thinking  of  your  welfare. 
4  Let  me  now  see  you  agree  as  brothers,  and  may  I  never  hear 
4  of  want  of  unity  among  you,  that  my  overflowing  kindness 
4  may  not  come  to  sorrow. 

4  See  that  you  find  some  occupation  where  you  are.  It  is 
4  no  use  being  in  Sweden  to  fritter  away  your  best  days  in 
1  idleness.  You  write  well,  you  reckon  well,  and  thank  God 
1  you  are  not  married.  See  that  you  get  a  good  wife,  and  some- 
4  thing  with  her.    Pray  God  to  lead  you  in  His  holy  way. 

1  Your  kind  father, 

4  Jesper  SvedberCt.' 

Jesper  married  in  1728,  and  through  his  family  the  name 
of  Swedenborg  is  perpetuated  to  this  day.  Whether  his  wife 
had  as  much  4  with  her,1  besides  goodness,  as  his  father  en- 
joined, we  are  not  informed.  Albrecht,  it  will  be  remembered, 
died  in  boyhood — Eliezer  married  in  1710,  and  died  in  1711 
without  issue — and  Emanuel  lived  to  the  end,  a  bachelor. 

Swedenborg  did  not  live  a  bachelor  without  remonstrance. 
When  in  his  forty-second  year,  we  find  his  brother-in-law, 
the  lleverend  Jonas  Unge,  addressing  to  him  these  words  of 
warning  and  encouragement — 

1  Wanga,  IS  May,  1729. 
4  Now  finally  I  shall  give  you  something  to  think  about. 
4  Why  do  you  allow  all  good  opportunities  of  marrying  to  slip 
'past  vou'?  Major  Otter  is  betrothed  to  Thamen's  elder 
4  daughter  ;  but  after  all  his  younger  daughter  is  by  far  the  better 
4  and  prettier  of  the  two.  Now,  my  beloved  brother,  will  you  not 
1  take  measures  accordingly?  I  have  no  reason  to  believe,  but 
4  that  Thamen  will  approve  of  you.  The  money  with  each, 
4  I  believe,  will  be  considerable,  so  that  my  brother  could  not 


WHY  DID  SWEDENBORG  NOT  MARRY?  75 

c  possibly  have  a  better  partner  in  all  Sweden.  In  God's 
1  name,  make  up  a  good  resolution,  and  trust  the  issue  to  His 
4  gracious  providence.  Time  does  not  allow  long  deliberations, 
4  and  there  is  danger  in  delay. 

4  My  wife  desires  her  best  salutations. 

4  I  am,  my  dear  brother,  your  obedient  servant, 

4  Jonas  Unge.' 

What  was  Swedenborg's  reply  to  this  remonstrance  we  do 
not  know  ;  neither  do  we  know  his  reasons  for  his  confirmed 
celibacy.  After  the  custom  of  unmarried  men  in  the  upper 
ranks  of  life  in  Sweden,  and  especially  Stockholm,  he  kept  a 
Mistress  ;*  and  she,  assisted  by  his  absorption  in  business  and 
study,  may  have  conspired  to  keep  him  imwedded. 

In  1729  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Stockholm  elected 
Swedenborg  a  member. 

Fire  pursued  Bishop  Svedberg  to  the  end  of  his  life ;  again 
in  1730  was  his  palace  burnt  down;  and  being  an  old  man  of 
77,  his  nerves  were  so  shaken,  that  he  could  no  more  write 
with  a  steady  hand,  and  his  health,  which  had  always  been 
excellent  began  to  decline,  and  his  memory  to  grow  feeble. 


*  See  'New  Jerusalem  Magazine.1  vol.  i..  page  263.    London,  1790. 


(    76  ) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


TRAVELLING  AND  PRINTING  IN  GERMANY. 


Having  completed  the  great  work,  which  he  had  been 
writing  for  so  many  years,  Swcdenborg  set  out  for  Leipsic  on 
the  10th  of  May,  1733,  to  have  it  printed.  He  has  left  a 
meagre  itinerary  of  his  route,  from  which  we  shall  read  a  few 
passages. 

First  he  made  a  short  German  tour,  in  company  with 
Count  Frederick  Gyllenborg  and  a  few  other  friends.  They 
landed  at  Stralsund,  and  there  surveyed  the  traces  of  the  great 
siege  of  1715.  After  visiting  Griefsvalde,  they  went  on  to 
Berlin,  where  they  spent  a  few  days. 

Berlin  was  beginning  to  rise  into  high  rank  among  European 
capitals  under  the  shrewdly  eccentric  power  of  Prussia's  rude 
King,  Frederick  William,  the  hard  father  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  who  at  that  time  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-two, 
just  released  from  prison  and  a  paternal  sentence  of  death,  to 
be  forced  into  a  marriage  of  state  convenience. 

Berlin  charmed  Swedenborg.  1  The  royal  palace,1  he  writes, 
i  is  very  magnificent,  in  size  and  height  surpassing  the  palaces 
4  of  many  kings.  The  houses  of  the  citizens  are  numerous,  and 
4  built  like  those  of  Italy  and  Paris.  Outside  old  Berlin  a  new 
4  city  is  springing  up,  under  the  direction  of  the  King.  Its 
4  best  street,  you  would  imagine  to  consist  of  the  houses  of 
1  Xoblcs  ;  whereas  in  them  dwell  artizans,  who  would  elsewhere 
1  inhabit  small  houses  and  huts.  The  eye  is  delighted,  the 
4  mind  exhilarated  by  the  wonderful  uniformity  and  contiguity 
4  of  all  the  houses.  It  may  be  said,  that  many  thousands  of 
4  men  live  in  one  house,  and  under  one  roof. 


BERLIN  AND  DRESDEN. 


77 


4  The  city  is  very  populous,  dense  crowds  walk  the  streets, 
4  and  multitudes  assemble  in  the  courts,  and  public  places. 
4  Manufactures  flourish,  as  many  skilled  workmen  have  fled 
4  from  persecution  in  France,  and  have  settled  here.' 

Frederick  William's  tall  soldiers  did  not  pass  unnoticed. 
4  If  they  could  fight  to  the  same  perfection  as  they  go  through 

4  their  drill,  Prussia  might  conquer  Europe  ;  but  .  Their 

4  dress  is  admirable  and  magnificent,  it  allows  full  freedom  of 
4  motion  and  makes  a  fine  show  ;  yet  beneath  all  this  military 
4  splendour,  the  parsimony  of  the  King  is  evident.'* 

In  the  royal  library  he  found  a  large  number  of  books,  but 
chiefly  old  ones,  not  much  in  request,  a  collection  made  on  the 
principle  of  getting  a  great  bulk  of  literature  for  a  little  money. 

From  Berlin  he  went  to  Dresden,  and  on  the  way,  4  read 
4  the  treatise  of  Pluto  on  the  ship-worms  of  Friesland  and 
4  Northland. 

4  June  7. — I  came  to  Dresden  having  been  on  my  journey 
1  from  Stockholm  twenty-eight  days ;  but  if  the  twelve  days, 
4  on  which  I  rested  be  subtracted,  the  journey  would  only 
4  consist  of  sixteen  days.' 

Dresden  he  went  over  as  he  did  Berlin,  and  makes  a 
catalogue  of  its  remarkable  sights. 

4  June  lAth  to  19th. — I  read  over  my  4  Principia]  and 
4  made  corrections. 

4  June  21. — This  day  I  went  to  the  chapel  royal  of  the 
4  Duke  of  Saxony,  to  see  the  sacred  service  performed  accord- 
4  ing  to  the  rites  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Everything 
4  was  employed  that  could  captivate  and  delight  the  senses ; 
4  there  were  all  kinds  of  musical  instruments,  and  also  eunuchs, 
4  whose  voice  imitated  that  of  virgins, — nothing  was  wanting 
4  to  delight  the  sense  of  hearing ;  the  fragrance,  that  proceeded 
4  from  the  incense,  carried  about  by  boys,  was  most  grateful  to 
4  the  smell,  and  our  eyes  were  charmed  with  pictures,  hung 


*  1  Itinerariwn.1    Tubingen,  1840. 


78 


SWEDEN BORG  MEETS  PHILOSOPHER  WOLF. 


£  round  the  building,  and  with  the  magnificent  dresses  of  the 
1  priests,  who,  not  unlike  harlequins,  went  gesticulating  about. 
1  All  things  appear  to  breathe  solemnity  and  sanctity,  and  at 
1  the  least  sound  of  a  bell,  all  fall  on  their  knees.    The  whole 

*  service  is  performed  in  Latin,  whic  h  strikes  with  awe  the 
c  common  people.  The  worship  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
1  seems  contrived  to  blandish  and  intoxicate  the  senses. 

'  July  10. — At  Mr.  Secretary  Roger's  I  saw  the  '  (Josmo- 
L  '  logiam  Generaleirf  of  John  Christian  Wolf,  who  has 
'  endeavoured  to  establish  the  nature  of  elements  from  merely 

*  metaphysical  principles,  which  is  based  upon  a  very  sound 
'  foundation.' 

This  meeting  with  Wolf  had  in  it  much  pleasantness.  He 
found,  that  his  thoughts  and  Wolf's  had  been  running  in  the 
same  channels  :  and  to  generous  thinkers,  not  burning  with  a 
selfish  lust  of  originality,  such  coincidence  is  full  with  the  joy 
of  sympathy. 

4  Illustrious  Wolf  was  recognized,  at  that  time,  as  the 
'  second  greater  Leibnitz,  and  head  philosopher  of  Nature,  who 
4  by  "mathematical  method  "  had  as  it  were  taken  Nature  in 
1  the  fact,  and  illuminated  everything,  so  that  whosoever  ran 
1  might  read, — which  all  manner  of  people  then  tried  to  do, 
1  but  have  now  quite  ceased  trying  by  the  Wolf  method.'* 
From  Dresden  he  went  to  Prague  where  he  arrived 
1  July  23. — I  walked  through  the  city,  and  across  the 
1  bridge  over  the  Moldau,  which  is  supported  on  eighteen 
i  arches,  and  on  which  there  are  many  images,  and  at  each 
1  end  a  turret,  in  which  are  still  to  be  seen  the  balls,  which  the 
4  Swedes  fired  into  them  in  1648.  I  went  to  the  cathedral 
'  church  of  St.  Vita,  where  I  saw  the  sepulchre  of  Martin 
i  Sobieslav,  on  each  side  of  which  there  is  a  silver  altar, 
4  and  above  each  a  heart  made  of  pure  gold.  Around  the 
'  altars  are  sacrificial  gifts,  in  great  number,  of  silver  hearts, 


*  Cnrlvl«'*s  1  Fn-ifrrirk  th<>  StttA  '  v.»l.  i  .  ] MgQ  628. 


COMMENCES  PRINTING  IN  LEIPSIC. 


79 


1  feet,  and  hair,  and  many  others.  ...  I  also  went  to  see  the 
£  whole  city,  which  is  of  considerable  size,  and  saw  the  place 

1  where  women  used  to  fight  their  husbands  I 

*  visited  the  church  of  St.  Nicholas  belonging  to  the  Jesuits, 
'  who  possess  many  churches  and  splendid  buildings.  There 
1  are  in  the  city  above  one  hundred  churches  and  fifty  nionas- 
'  teries  ;  the  city  contains  eighty  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
'  Jews'  quarter  has  everything  in  it  dirty  and  filthy.  .  .  I  saw 
'  the  church,  in  which  wood  is  preserved,  said  to  have  been 
4  brought  by  the  Devil  from  Rome.  Statues  abound  in  the 
1  streets  and  squares.' 

From  Prague  he  made  a  tour  among  the  mines  of  Bohemia, 
and,  being  deeply  concerned  in  mining  affairs,  he  records  many 
observations  in  his  'Itinera?-?/  .*'  these,  except  to  a  metallurgist, 
have  little  interest. 

To  Dresden  he  returned  on  the  25th  of  August,  and  on  the 
2nd  of  September  set  out  for  Leipsic,  arriving  there  on  the  4th. 
To  the  final  preparation  of  his  work  for  the  press  he  now  be- 
stowed his  time,  and  his  1  Itinerary  '  concludes  with  this  entry — 

L  6th  October. — The  printing  of  the  1  Principia1  is  begun, 
4  and  six  sheets  this  week  are  printed.  The  gods  bless  it ! 
4  The  Leipsic  fair  this  day  commenced.' 

The  supervision  of  the  printing  of  his  great  work  the  1  Opera 
1  Philosophica  et  MineraliaJ  and  the  execution  of  its  numerous 
engraved  illustrations  occupied  the  last  months  of  1733  and 
the  first  of  1734.  At  the  same  time  stimulated  by  the  con- 
firmation of  his  mechanical  philosophy  in  the  newly-discovered 
writings  of  Wolf,  he  wrote  a  short  work  on  4  The  Infinite.1 

At  the  beginning  of  1734  both  works  were  published  con- 
jointly at  Leipsic  and  Dresden. 

Swedenborg  now  turned  homewards  through  Hesse- 
Cassel,  inspecting  its  mines  on  the  way.  The  great  attraction 
in  Hesse-Cassel  however,  was  Philosopher  Wolf.  Wolf  had 
been  driven  from  his  professorship  in  the  University  of  Halle 
by  the  terrors  of  Frederick  William  of  Prussia,  and  had  found 


80  PRINCE  FREDERICK,  VOLTAIRE,  AND  WOLF. 


refuge  and  favour  at  the  hands  of  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse- 
Cassel,  who  appointed  him  professor  of  mathematics  and 
philosophy  at  the  University  of  Marburg.  Here  Swedenborg 
made  acquaintance  with  the  great  man,  and  chatted,  and 
settled,  and  re-settled  the  origin  of  the  universe  by  4  mathe- 
4  matical  method'  to  their  perfect  satisfaction. 

Persecuted  by  King  Frederick  William,  it  was  some  con- 
solation to  Wolf  to  find  an  ardent  admirer  in  Prince  Frederick. 
Frederick  had  Wolf's  Latin  writings  translated,  that  he  might 
study  them ;  and  writing  to  Voltaire,  at  Cirey,  from  Berlin, 
8th  August,  1736,  he  recommends  Wolf  to  his  notice  as  4  the 
4  most  celebrated  Philosopher  of  our  days,  who,  for  having 
4  carried  light  into  the  darkest  places  of  metaphysics,  is  cruelly 
4  accused  of  irreligion  and  atheism.  Such  is  the  destiny  of 
4  our  great  men ;  their  superior  genius  exposes  them  to  the 
4  poisoned  arrows  of  calumny  and  envy.' 

Voltaire's  answer  to  this  is  worth  quoting — • 

4  Cirey,  26  August,  1736. 

4 I  cannot  sufficiently  thank  your  Royal  Highness  for  the 
4  gift  of  that  little  book  about  Monsieur  Wolf.  I  respect 
1  metaphysical  ideas,  rays  of  lightning  they  are,  in  the  midst 
4  of  deep  night.  More,  I  think,  is  not  to  be  hoped  from  Me- 
4  taphysics.  It  does  not  seem  likely  that  the  First  Principles 
4  of  things  will  ever  be  known.  The  mice  that  nestle  in  some 
4  little  holes  of  an  immense  building,  know  not  whether  it  is 
4  eternal,  or  who  the  Architect,  or  why  he  built  it.  Such  mice 
4  are  we  ;*  and  the  Divine  Architect  who  built  the  Universe 


*  The  analogy  does  not  hold.  Men  do  wonder  concerning  the  Universe  and 
its  Maker,  and  their  questions  concerning  both  are  satisfied  more  and  more  as 
they  follow  right  methods  of  inquiry.  Mice  neither  wonder  nor  desire  to 
understand  anything  of  the  building  in  which  they  nestle  ;  if  they  did,  doubt- 
less they  would  have  been  endowed  with  intellects  by  which  they  might 
apprehend  the  Architect.  Our  Maker  created  in  us  the  desire  to  know  Him  • 
and  that  desire  lie  did  not  create  for  perpetual  hunger  and  torment,  but  for 
gratification.  Talk  like  this  of  Voltaire's  is  usually  an  aifucted  humility, 
and  the  prcsige  and  apology  of  some  resounding  piece  of  arrogance. 


swedenborg's  relation  to  wolf. 


81 


4  has  never,  that  I  know  of,  told  his  secret  to  one  of  us.  If 
4  anybody  could  pretend  to  guess  correctly,  it  is  M.  Wolf.' 

Wolf's  terminology  Swedenborg  adopted  for  some  years 
after  this  in  his  writings,  and  his  influence  upon  him  was 
great ;  less  however  as  a  master  than  as  a  friend  who  con- 
firmed and  sustained  his  speculations. 

Swedenborg's  4  Principle?  was  written  before  he  knew 
Wolf,  or  read  his  books;  but  in  the  last  paragraph  of  the 
4  Principle?  he  confesses  important  obligations  to  him,  adding, 
that  whoever  will  take  the  pains  to  compare  his  work  with 
Wolf's,  will  see  that  their  principles  almost  exactly  comcide. 

In  an  incomplete  manuscript  of  Swedenborg's  we  find 
these  remarks,  which  are  interesting  as  showing  his  regard 
for  Wolf. 

4  A  comparison  of  1  The  Ontology1  and  4  The  General 
* 4  Cosmology1  of  Christian  Wolf  with  my  4  Principia.1 ' 

4 1  wish  to  institute  a  comparison  between  my  'Principia'' 
4  and  the  rules  of  Metaphysics,  with  a  view  to  enable  me  in 
4  some  measure  to  judge  of  the  foundations  upon  which  my 
4  philosophy  and  theory  repose,  and  whether  their  parts  are 
4  geometrically  and  metaphysically  true,  or  the  reverse.  There 
4  is  no  better  source  for  this  test,  than  the  1  Cosmology  '  of  the 
4  learned  Christian  Wolf,  who  may  be  justly  styled  a  true 
4  philosopher,  since  he  has  drawn  out  the  principles  of  a  true 
4  philosophy  with  unwearied  care,  scrutiny  and  elaboration, 
4  and  teaches  them  metaphysically,  and  in  the  most  regular 
4  order,  and  at  the  same  time  scientifically  and  by  experiment. 
4  Let  us  see  then  whether  there  be  consent  between  us,  or  any 
4  dissent. 

4  In  rational  philosophy  Wolf  treats  admirably  of  the  mode 
4  of  philosophizing.  44 The  liberty  of  philosophizing,"  says  he, 
4  44  should  be  allowed  to  those  who  philosophize  in  a  philoso- 
4  44  phical  manner*  and  from  this  concession,  no  danger  need 

*  And  if  they  do  not,  what  then  ?  May  Frederick  William  in  that  ease 
interfere? 


82 


BRUNSWICK  AND  SWEDEN  BO  RG . 


4  u  be  apprehended  either  for  religion,  virtue,  or  the  state." 
4  Again  be  says — u  "Without  liberty  in  philosophy,  progress  in 
4  u  knowledge  is  impossible/'  And  further:  u  A  place  must 
4  M  be  granted  in  philosophy  to  philosophical  hypothesis,  inas- 
4  M  much  as  they  prepare  the  way  for  discovering  real  truth." 
4  And  again  :  44  If  any  one  philosophize  in  a  philosophical 
4  44  manner,  he  has  no  need  to  refute  opposite  opinions."  7 

Wolf  derived  his  philosophy  from  Descartes  and  Leibnitz, 
wrhose  successor  he  may  be  considered.  Swedenborg  was 
thoroughly  united  with  "Wolf  in  opinion,  and  in  speaking  of 
the  ideas  of  the  one  we  speak  of  those  of  the  other. 

From  Cassel  Swedenborg  w^ent  to  Gotha,  and  thence  to 
Brunswick,  on  a  visit  to  Duke  Rudolph  who  had  munificently 
*  defrayed  the  whole  cost  of  the  printing  of  his  4  Opera  Philo- 
4  soj)hica  et  Mineratia?  To  him  the  great  work  was  inscribed, 
offered  as  incense  to  a  god,  in  another  of  those  absurd  dedica- 
tions which  were  the  fashion  of  the  age.  The  Duke  died  in 
the  following  year,  and  in  him  Swedenborg  lost  an  intelligent 
and  liberal  friend. 

Swedenborg  returned  to  Stockholm  in  July,  1734. 


I    83  ) 


CHAPTER  IX. 


PHILOSOPHICAL  AND  MIXEEALOGICAL  WORKS  * 


These  works  are  contained  in  three  handsome  folios,  copiously 
illustrated  with  engravings.  A  portrait  of  the  author  in  his 
robes  of  office  forms  a  graceful  frontispiece  to  the  first :  a  fair 
copy  of  which  we  present  on  another  page. 

We  may  dispose  of  the  second  and  third  of  these  volumes 
at  once.  They  are  practical  and  technical,  giving  an  account 
of  iron  and  copper  mining,  and  the  processes  of  manufacture 
in  use  last  century.  To  metallurgists  they  must  ever  have  an 
abiding  interest  as  a  broad  land-mark  in  the  history  of  their  art. 

His  publication  of  trade  secrets  was  not  approved  by  the 
selfish  and  narrow-minded,  and  of  such  he  observes — 

4  There  are  persons  who  love  to  hold  knowledge  for  them- 
1  selves  alone,  and  to  be  reputed  possessors  and  guardians  of 
1  secrets.  People  of  this  kind  grudge  the  public  everything, 
1  and  if  any  discovery,  by  which  Art  and  Science  will  be 


*  Tom.  I. — '  Principia  Reruni  Naturalium  sive  Novorum  Tentaminum 
'  Phenomena  Mundi  Elementaris  Pbilosophice  Explicandi.' 

Tom.  II. — '  Regnum  Subterraneum  sive  Minerale  de  Ferro  deque  Modis 
1  Liquation um  Fern  per  Europam  passim  in  usurn  receptis:  deque  conversione 
1  ferri  crudiin  chalybem:  de  vena  ferriet  probatione  ejus:  pariter  dechymicis 
1  praeparitis  et  cum  ferro  et  victriolo  ejus  factis  experimentis.' 

Tom.  III. — '  Regnum  Subterraneum  sive  Minerale  de  Cupro  et  Orichalco 
'  modis  liquationum  cupri  per  Europam  passim  in  usum  receptis:  de  secretione 
'  ejus  ab  argento :  de  conversione  in  Orichalcum :  inque  Metalla  diversi  generis : 
'  de  Lapide  Calaminari :  de  Zinco  :  de  Yena  Cupri  et  probatione  ejus  :  pariter 
4  de  cbymicis  praiparatis,  et  cum  cupro  factis  experimentis,  &c.  &c.' 

1  Cum  figuris  aeneis.  Dresdae  et  Lipsia;,  Sumptibus  Frederici  Hekelii, 
1  Bibliopolae  Regii,  1734.' 

G  2 


84 


TIIK  METHOD  OF  THE  PRIXCIPIA. 


*  benefitted,  conies  to  light,  they  regard  it  askance  with  scowl- 
c  ing  visages,  and  probably  denounce  the  discoverer  as  a 
'  babbler,  who  lets  out  mysteries.  Why  should  real  secrets  be 
1  grudged  to  the  public?  why  withheld  from  this  enlightened 
c  Age?  "Whatever  is  worth  knowing  should  by  all  means  be 
1  brought  into  the  great  and  common  Market  of  the  World. 
4  Unless  this  be  done,  we  can  neither  grow  wiser,  nor  happier 
'  with  time.' 

These  are  right  liberal  words,  having  the  savour  of  a  spirit 
often  claimed  as  peculiar  to  1  our  own  enlightened  Age.' 

Our  interest  lies  in  the  first  volume,  entitled,  '  Principia^ 
1  or  the  First  Principles  of  Natural  Things,  being  New  Attempts 
1  towards  a  philosophical  explanation  of  the  Elementary  World.1 

The  work  is  an  attempt  to  show  how  atoms  of  matter  were 
created;  and,  as  Earths  are  congregations  of  atoms,  how  Earths 
were  created.  Picking  up  a  grain  of  sand,  Swedenborg  would 
show  us  how  it  proceeded  out  of  nothingness,  how  it  grew,  how 
it  came  to  have  its  place  in  the  universe  of  things. 

By  what  means  did  he  hope  to  steal  from  Nature  the 
secret  of  her  Genesis  ?  We  shall  better  answer  that  question 
after  hearing  what  he  has  to  say  concerning  the  means  to  a 
true  philosophy. 

These  means,  says  Swedenborg,  are  three — Experience, 
Reason,  Geometry. 

Experience,  he  thinks,  is  the  only  way  to  Wisdom.  It  is 
impossible  to  receive  Knowledge  directly  from  the  Soul. 
Knowledge  is  attained  solely  through  the  Senses ;  but,  whilst 
Knowledge  or  Experience  is  thus  procured,  we  must  be  careful 
not  to  confound  Knowledge  with  Reason  or  Wisdom. 

In  Knowledge  or  Experience  are  found  the  mere  materials 
with  which  Reason  builds ;  yet,  without  Knowledge,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  Reason  either  to  grow,  or  to  exist.  Daily  we 
see  much  Knowledge  without  Reason;  the  learned  man,  with 
a  gorged  memory,  taken  by  a  shallow  world  for  the  wise  man, 
or  the  man  of  Reason,  and  crowned  with  the  laurels  of  genius. 


THE  WAY  TO  THE  INMOST  SECRET  OF  NATURE.  85 

To  Knowledge  or  Experience  must  then  be  added  Reason. 
Reason  is  that  fine  faculty  of  the  Soul,  by  which  Knowledge  is 
ruled,  analysed,  classified,  and  reduced  to  laws  and  analogies. 
Reason,  from  facts  or  things  known,  elicits  a  second,  a  third, 
or  a  fourth  truth,  hitherto  unknown.  Reason  is  the  mark  of 
the  true  philosopher;  and  Reason,  to  attain  her  ends,  must 
invoke  the  aid  of  all  the  Sciences,  but  chiefly  Geometry. 

Under  the  empire  of  Geometry  are  the  three  Kingdoms — 
the  Mineral ;  the  Vegetable,  the  Animal ;  and,  if  it  be  per- 
mitted to  call  it  a  fourth,  the  Elemental. 

The  Elemental  Kingdom  comprises  those  substances,  which 
are  by  their  own  nature  fluid ;  every  one  of  their  particles 
having  its  own  peculiar  powers  of  motion  and  elasticity.  A 
collection  of  these  particles  constitutes  an  Element,  such  as  Air, 
or  Ether,  or  others  still  more  subtile. 

The  investigation  of  this  Elemental  Kingdom  is  the  par- 
pose  of  the  1  PrincipiaS 

All  the  things  of  the  Animal,  Vegetable,  Mineral,  and 
Elemental  Kingdoms  are  mechanical,  and  possess  motion  and 
limits.  The  whole  World  is  a  pure  system  of  Mechanism. 
The  Animal  Kingdom  is  mechanical  as  to  its  bodily  organiza- 
tion. Hence,  by  Geometry,  all  are  to  be  investigated  and 
understood. 

The  whole  World  being  mechanical,  it  follows,  that  the 
smallest  things  and  the  largest  are  governed  by  similar  me- 
chanical laws ;  and,  though  the  particles  of  the  Elemental 
Kingdom  are  invisible,  and  in  a  great  measure  elude  the 
observation  of  the  Senses,  yet,  as  they  are  fluent  and  bounded, 
they  must  be  geometrical,  and  flow  and  exist  in  a  mechanical 
manner. 

The  Method  of  Nature  is  everywhere  the  same ;  what  is 
true  of  the  least  is  true  of  the  greatest ;  the  force  that  shapes 
a  dew-drop  forms  a  world  ;  the  mechanism  of  the  trunk  of  an 
elephant  and  of  a  fly  is  the  same.     The  philosopher  must  not 


86  THE  FINITE  IS  NUT  WHOLLY  MECHANICAL. 


be  deluded  by  size  and  supposed  difference.  There  is  the  same 
ratio  between  1,000,000  and  5,000,000  as  there  is  between 
•0,000,001  and  0,000,005.  This  truth  is  of  inestimable  value, 
because  bv  analogies  drawn  from  the  seen  we  can  advance  to 
the  unseen,  and  speak  of  the  unseen  as  it*  it  lay  under  the  eye. 

Some  things  are  not  mechanical. 

Though  the  World  is  constituted  in  a  mechanical  manner, 
and  is  explained  by  Geometry,  it  does  not  follow  that  all  things 
whatsoever  are  to  be  thus  explained.  There  are  innumerable 
things  not  mechanical.  There  is  the  Infinite,  altogether  with- 
out and  above  the  sphere  of  Geometry.  From  the  Infinite  the 
Finite  is  derived,  and  from  the  Infinite  the  Finite  only  and 
momently  lives.  To  the  Infinite  then  everything  Finite  has 
reference,  not  excepting  Geometry.  The  Infinite  can  by  no 
means  be  geometrically  explored,  because  the  existence  of  the 
Infinite  is  prior  to  Geometry,  being  its  cause. 

There  is  also  that  intelligent  principle  which  exists  in 
animals,  which  is  their  Soul,  and  which  with  the  body  makes 
their  life.  What  is  the  nature  of  this  intelligence  Geometry 
has  hitherto  been  unable  to  discover,  and  we  are  yet  ignorant 
whether  the  laws  to  which  the  Soul  is  subject  are  similar  to 
those  of  Mechanics  :  yet  it  cannot  be  denied,  that  the  laws  of 
the  Soul  are  as  fixed  and  orderly  as  those  of  Mechanics,  and 
that  they  act  through  mechanical  principles  in  the  body.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  Love  or  Life  of  Man,  which  is  not  to 
be  explained  by  Geometry :  yet  his  Love,  by  and  through  the 
bodv,  operates  mechanically. 

There  i3  likewise  a  Providence  respecting  all  things,  which 
is  Infinite  in  the  Infinite,  or  in  the  Being  who  is  all-provident, 
and  which  is  quite  inappreciable  by  Geometry.  There  are 
probablv  infinite  other  things,  of  which  we  have  no  knowledge 
whatever,  which  own  no  obedience  to  the  known  laws  of  Me- 
chanics ;  hence  we  may  conclude,  that  there  are  things  in  the 
Sud,  which  are  still  far  remote  from  mechanical  apprehension  : 


GOD  AND  THE  PHILOSOPHER. 


87 


so  that  did  we  even  know  all  the  Mechanism  and  Geometry  of 
the  visible  World,  there  would  yet  remain  infinite  things  with 
which  we  are  unacquainted. 

The  true  philosopher  seeks  earnestly  for  the  causes  of 
things,  for  knowing  the  causes  he  becomes  the  easy  master  of 
effects  and  details.  The  mechanical  World  of  Nature  is  not 
unlike  a  spider's  web,  and  the  philosopher  may  be  compared 
to  the  spider  herself.  The  spider  in  the  centre  of  her  web, 
by  circles  and  polygons  radiating  around,  knows  in  an  instant 
what  takes  place  in  the  circumference.  The  philosopher,  who 
discovers  the  central  law  of  Nature,  will  be  in  Nature  as  the 
spider  in  her  web.  From  the  centre  he  will  view  Nature's 
infinite  peripheries,  and  comprehend  the  whole  mundane 
system  at  a  glance. 

God  and  the  Philosopher. 

1  Without  the  utmost  devotion  to  the  Supreme  Being  no 
1  one  can  be  a  complete  and  truly  learned  philosopher.  True 
(  philosophy,  and  contempt  of  the  Deity,  are  two  opposites. 

*  Veneration  for  the  Infinite  Being  can  never  be  separated 
1  from  philosophy;  for  he  who  fancies  himself  wise,  whilst  his 
1  wisdom  does  not  teach  him  to  acknowledge  a  Divine  and 
c  Infinite  Being,  has  not  even  a  particle  of  wisdom.  The 
L  philosopher  sees  indeed,  that  God  governs  the  Creation  by 
1  rules  and  mechanical  laws,  and  that  the  Soul  governs  the 
1  Body  in  a  similar  manner,  he  may  even  know  what  those 
c  rules  and  mechanical  laws  are ;  but  to  know  the  nature  of 

*  that  Infinite  Being,  from  whom,  as  from  their  fountain,  all 
i  things  in  the  world  derive  their  existence  and  subsistence  — 
1  to  know,  I  say,  the  nature  of  that  Supreme  Intelligence  with 
4  its  infinite  arcana, — this  is  an  attainment  beyond  the  sphere 
<  of  his  limited  capacity.  When  therefore  the  philosopher 
1  has  arrived  at  the  end  of  his  studies,  even  supposing  him  to 
'  have  acquired  so  complete  a  knowledge  of  all  mundane 


88 


THE  INFINITE  AND  NATURE. 


*  things,  that  nothing  more  remains  for  him  to  learn,  he  must 
4  there  stop  ;  for  he  ean  never  know  the  nature  of  the  Infinite 
4  Being,  of  His  Supreme  Intelligence,  Supreme  Providence, 
4  Supreme  Love,  Supreme  Justice,  and  other  infinite  attri- 
4  butes.  He  will  therefore  acknowledge  that,  in  respect  to 
1  this  supremely  intelligent  and  wise  Being,  his  knowledge  is 
4  nothing.  He  will  hence  most  profoundly  venerate  Him  with 
4  the  utmost  devotion  of  Soul ;  so  that  at  the  mere  thought  of 
4  Him,  his  whole  frame,  or  membranous  and  sensitive  system, 
1  will  awfully,  yet  sweetly  tremble,  from  the  inmost  to  the 
4  outermost  principles  of  its  being.* 

God  and  Nature. 

4  Nature  is  only  a  word  which  expresses  the  motive  forces 
4  proceeding  from  the  Infinite.  Nature  is  nothing  without  the 
4  World,  and  the  World  without  Nature ;  but  the  Infinite  is 
4  still  Infinite  independently  of  the  World  :  while  on  the  other 
4  hand  no  conception  can  be  formed  of  the  World  independ- 
4  ently  of  the  Infinite.  They  therefore  are  mere  children,  and 
4  have  not  reached  the  first  threshold  of  true  philosophy,  who 
4  ascribe  to  Nature  the  origin  of  all  things,  and  exclude  the 
4  Infinite,  or  who  confound  Nature  and  the  Infinite  together, 
4  when  yet  the  World  or  Nature  is  only  an  effect,  a  causate 
4  or  thing  caused,  the  Infinite  being  its  efficient  or  cause." 

Such  is  a  curt  abstract  of  his  preliminary  observations. 
His  purpose,  it  will  be  seen,  is  to  bring  to  light  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  the  Elemental  World ;  to  reveal  those  subtle,  in- 
visible and  inner  forces,  which  are  the  Soul  of  Nature,  by 
which  Nature's  gross  body  of  Earth  is  permeated  and  vivified, 
and  from  which,  by  condensation,  Earth  was  created. 

He  tells  us  that  we  can  know  nothing  save  by  Experience, 
that  no  Knowledge  can  be  derived  directly  from  the  Soul,  but 
only  through  the  Senses :  yet  he  opens  k  The  Pritneipia  *  with 
an  assertion  which  he  never  gathered  from  Kxpcriciice. 


MATTER  DISCOVERED  IN  ITS  BEGINNING. 


89 


He  wishes  to  prove  how  the  Elemental  World  began, 
and  he  begs  the  whole  question  by  assuming  that  it  must 
have  commenced  in  a  Point. 

Nature,  he  conceives,  originated  in  a  Point,  which  he 
defines  as  the  simplest  existence,  the  geometrical  Point,  the 
Point  of  Zeno.  This  Point  is  the  beginning  of  the  World, 
for  it  is  the  beginning  of  Geometry ;  and  Geometry  is  the  law 
and  essential  attribute  of  every  substance  in  the  World. 

The  Point  is  produced  immediately  from  the  Infinite.  It 
is  the  medium  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite,  and  par- 
takes of  the  nature  of  both.  It  may  be  compared  to  Janus  with 
two  faces,  which  look  both  ways  at  once,  or  at  each  universe. 

The  Point  is  pure  and  total  motion ;  it  is  the  commence- 
ment and  the  potency  of  all  motion  and  production.  The  Point 
cannot  be  conceived  of  according  to  any  laws  of  Geometry, 
and  no  attribute  can  be  assigned  to  it  except  by  analogy. 
When  geometrically  considered  the  Point  is  nothing,  or  be- 
comes a  subject  of  mere  imagination. 

Motion,  as  derived  from  the  Point,  ever  flows  from  a 
centre  to  a  circumference,  and  around  the  circumference 
back  to  the  centre,  and  is  thus  an  everlasting  spiral.  In 
speaking  in  this  fashion,  he  speaks  of  the  Point  as  manifested 
in  Nature.  As  from  the  Point  all  the  motion,  force  and  being 
of  Nature  commence  and  are  derived,  so  every  atom,  and 
consequently  every  aggregation  of  atoms,  carries  in  its  heart  a 
perpetual  tendency  to  vortical  motion. 

Out  of  a  congress  and  coacervation  of  such  Points  of  force 
the  First  Finite  is  produced.  This  First  Finite  we  are  directed 
to  think  of  as  a  geometrical  figure  with  the  fewest  of  boun- 
daries, the  most  perfect  of  figures,  the  first  limitation  of 
substance,  and  the  first  occupant  of  space.  In  it  there  are  two 
natural  poles,  formed  by  the  spiral  motion  of  the  Points,  and  in 
it  is  an  equator  with  meridians  and  lesser  circles.  From  its 
inherent  motion  it  is  necessarily  impelled  to  a  revolution  on  its 
axis.    The  First  Finite  thus  perfectly  resembles  the  World, 


90 


CREATION  IS  CAUGHT  IN  THE  ACT. 


although  it  is  so  small  that  in  comparison  with  things  com- 
pounded it  is  almost  nothing. 

As  by  the  aggregation  and  coacervation  of  gvrating 
Points  the  First  Finite  is  formed — so  by  motion,  aggregation 
and  mutual  pressure  among  First  Finites  a  grosser  order  of 
Second  Finites  is  produced.  What  the  Point  is  to  the  First 
Finite,  the  First  Finite  is  to  the  Second. 

Second  Finites  are  said  to  compose  the  First  Element, 
forming  the  solar  vortex,  and  filling  the  whole  space  of  the 
starry  heavens. 

From  Second  Finites  are  produced  Third  Finites,  in  the 
same  manner  as  First  Finites  are  from  Points,  and  Second 
Finites  from  First. 

Third  Finites  form  the  Second,  or  Magnetic  Element. 

From  Third  Finites,  in  the  same  way  by  condensation  and 
coacervation,  are  produced  Fourth  Finites. 

Fourth  Finites  form  the  Third  Element,  or  Ether. 

From  Fourth  Finites  are  produced  Fifth  Finites  in  the 
same  way. 

Fifth  Finites  compose  the  Fourth  Element  or  Air,  and  in 
a  state  of  still  closer  compression,  Water.  Water  having  no 
elasticity  cannot,  however,  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  the 
Elemental  Kingdom.  It  is  the  first  purely  material  Finite 
In  a  globule  of  Water  is  contained  all  that  had  previously 
existed  from  the  Point  downwards,  like  box  within  box. 

It  will  thus  be  readily  seen  that  one  Finite  stands  to  its 
second  as  its  cause,  and  in  this  sense  is  called  its  Active. 
Actives  arc  then  the  heart  of  their  Finite  ;  and  the  Point  within 
all,  is  the  heart  of  hearts.  Derived  from  the  Point  is  an  endless 
motion  by  which  the  whole  Elemental  World  is  maintained  in 
a  ceaseless  vortical  whirl. 

Such,  according  to  Swedenborg,  is  the  derivation  and  pro- 
cession of  the  Elements. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  in  this  procession  we  have  a  scries 
of  Actives  and  Passives,  or  rather  Ke-actives.    The  Point  is 


MAGNETISM  TAKEN  TO  PROVE  THE  THEORY. 


91 


an  Active  to  the  First  Finite,  and  the  First  Finite  a  Re-active 
to  the  Point ;  and  the  Elements  of  Magnetism  and  Ether  stand 
to  one  another  in  the  same  relation.  Throughout  Xature 
Swedenborg  held  that  there  was  everywhere  Action  and  Re- 
action, and  absolute  inertia  nowhere ;  that  the  gross  moved 
more  slowly  than  the  rare,  but  that  the  rare  found  a  fulcrum 
for  action  in  the  gross ;  that  the  gross  was  moved  by  the 
action  of  the  rare ;  and  that  without  Re-action  there  could  be 
no  Action  ;  for  without  a  passive  continent  action  would  be 
dissipated  like  steam  without  a  boiler,  or  the  Soul  without  a 
body.  Every  Active  or  every  force  in  its  turn  serves  as  a 
Passive  to  a  higher  force  ;  as,  for  example,  the  boiler  is  passive 
to  steam,  steam  to  heat,  heat  to  electricity,  and  electricity  to 
some  force  more  subtile  still,  and  the  highest  finite  force  of  all 
to  the  Infinite. 

A  boiler  is  a  tangibly  mechanical  Passive  ;  but  Swedenborg 
would  say  that  steam,  and  heat,  and  electricity  are  not  a  whit 
less  mechanical,  although  their  mechanism  eludes  our  Senses. 

For  the  illustration  and  confirmation  of  this  theory  he  turned 
to  Magnetism ;  Magnetism  he  held  to  be  the  Second  Element, 
and  composed  of  Third  Finites. 

Peter  Van  Musschenbroek,  Professor  of  Philosophy  and 
Mathematics  in  the  University  of  Utrecht,  published  at  Leyden 
in  1729  a  work, 1  Physics  Experimentales  et  Geometricce  Disser- 
iationesj  abounding  in  magnetic  experiments  and  observations. 
These  Swedenborg  freely  transferred  to  his  pages,  and  used  to 
prove  his  doctrine  of  vortical  motion.  Musschenbroek  con- 
sidered, that  magnetic  attractions  and  repulsions  observed  no 
certain  law  ;  but  here  Swedenborg  left  him,  maintaining,  that 
nowhere  was  order  more  demonstrable. 

This  done,  and  having  described  the  Elemental  World  in 
its  leasts,  in  single  Points  and  Finites,  he  turns  to  its  description 
in  the  mass,  in  Suns  and  Space  and  Earths.    In  doing  so  he 


92 


HOW  THE  EARTH  WAS  CREATED. 


repeats  what  he  has  written  before,  for  as  he  tells  us,  4  Nature 
4  is  similar  to  herself  iu  Suns  and  Planets  as  in  Particles,  size 
4  makes  no  difference.' 

The  Point  was  described  as  containing  or  receiving  the 
potency  of  all  motion  and  production  derived  from  the 
Infinite.  Suns  are  the  sires  of  systems,  and  therefore  Suns 
consist  of  Points.  From  these  Points  are  produced  First 
Finites,  and  from  First  Finites  Second  Finites,  or  the  First 
Element,  and  from  Second  Finites  Third  Finites,  or  the 
Magnetic  Element.  These  First  and  Second  Elements  form 
the  Solar  Vortex.  Each  particle  and  the  whole  mass  of  the 
Magnetic  Element  wheeling  in  ceaseless  gyration,  'in  perpetual 
4  motion,  local  or  translator}',  undulatory  or  modificatory  and 
4  ancillary,'  closed  and  thickened  in  the  Third  Element  or  Ether. 

The  Sun  in  his  Vortex  was  surrounded  by  this  crust  of 
Ether.  Subtle  and  rare  though  Ether  be,  yet  to  the  inner 
Elements  it  is  coarse  ;  and,  revolving  in  a  continual  gyratorv 
motion  round  the  Sun,  it  gradually  retreated  until  widening 
and  widening  it  became  at  last  so  attenuated,  that  it  broke  and 
collapsed  into  space  and  was  there  fashioned  by  the  soft  but 
powerful  action  of  the  Magnetic  Element  into  a  Planet,  and 
led  into  its  orbit  by  continuing  magnetic  bonds. 

The  Planet  of  Ether  by  further  condensation  became  Air  ; 
and  from  Air  by  still  further  compression  was  produced  Water. 

From  Water  was  formed  the  Mineral  Kingdom.  Around 
globules  of  Water  grew  crusts,  just  as  Ether  crusted  round  the 
Sun.  These  crusts  gathered  themselves  between  the  interstices 
of  the  Water  globules,  and  hence  originated  Salt. 

Salt  was  the  first  of  the  solid  formations,  the  beginning  of 
the  terrestrial  series.  From  Salt,  Swedenborg  conceived,  4  by 
4  distillation,  sublimation,  rectification,  circulation,  filtration, 
1  commixtion,  digestion,  precipitation  or  crystallization  might 
4  be  educed  anv  substance  ;'  and  indeed  was  educed  the  Mineral 
Kingdom . 

The  Mineral  Kingdom  thus  accounted  for,  the  foundation 


THE  THEORY  A  MATHEMATICAL  DREAM.  93 

of  the  Earth  was  laid ;  and  by  countless  changes,  and  develop- 
ment upon  development,  a  ground  for  vegetables,  and  then  for 
animals,  and  at  last  a  Paradise  were  prepared,  into  which  Man, 
the  king  and  crown  of  creation,  stepped  forth;  and  all  these 
wonders  were  effected  through  gyrating  Points,  or  the  Sun 
whose  inmost  consists  of  an  infinite  concourse  of  such  Points. 

Such,  in  mere  outline,  is  Swedenborg's  theory  of  the  origin 
and  order  of  the  mechanical  Universe.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
give  an  idea  of  the  laborious  care  and  minuteness,  running 
into  endless  iteration  and  diffuseness,  with  which  he  reasons 
out  its  details.    What  is  to  be  said  about  it  ? 

It  is  a  mathematician's  ambitious  dream.  The  very  begin- 
ning of  his  theory  lay  in  nothingness.  The  Point  by  his  own 
definition  was  geometrically  nothing,  a  mere  figment  of  the  fancy, 
and  his  ratiocination  over  it  makes  the  head  swim.  He  felt 
his  difficulty,  and  candidly  expresses  his  desire  to  evade  it — 

1  Since  the  Point  is  of  such  a  nature  that  it  must  necessarily 
4  be  contemplated  as  proceeding  from  the  Infinite,  and  yet 
?  existing  before  any  Finite,  and  so  must  be  considered  as  non- 
'  geometrical,  inasmuch  as  the  Finite  is  produced  by  it,  like 
*  always  begetting  its  like ;  I  could  wish  that  some  other 
c  person  capable  of  the  task  would  favour  us  with  a  better,  or 
'  more  just  view  of  the  subject.  For  my  own  part,  I  would 
L  willingly  give  up  the  further  consideration  of  this  first  ens  to 
4  which  something  of  Infinity  adheres,  and  proceed  to  the 
£  Finites.'* 

This  was  hard ;  his  Point  he  was  bound  to  make  clear ; 
yet  after  much  ado  he  ends  in  taking  it  for  granted. 

The  bland  and  unconscious  way  in  which  the  makers  of 
precepts  abandon  them  in  practice  is  amusingly  illustrated  by 
Swedenborg  in  his  1  Principia.''  He  tells  us,  as  we  have  read, 
that  all  Knowledge  is  derived  through  the  Senses,  and  nothing 
directly  from  the  Soul ;  and  this  assertion  stands  as  the  preface 


*  '  Principia^  chap,  ii.,  No.  19. 


94  THE  VANITY  OF  THE  DREAM. 

to  a  theory  spun  out  in  all  its  elaboration  from  his  own  Soul. 
It  is  true  he  allows,  that  he  is  only  trying  to  evolve  the 
Unseen  from  the  Seen  ;  and  we  may  follow  him  when  he 
says,  that  as  viable  Matter  is  geometrical  as  to  figure,  and 
mechanical  as  to  motion,  invisible  Matter  must  be  so  likewise ; 
for  size  makes  no  difference ;  but  when  he  proceeds  to  invent 
Elements  we  listen  to  him,  if  we  can  command  the  interest, 
as  we  would  to  a  tale  of  Utopia  or  of  the  Fairies.  For  the 
existence  of  Points  and  the  procession  of  Finites  into  the 
Elements  he  has  no  evidence  or  experience  to  adduce  what- 
ever. Why  Magnetism  itself  is  not  composed  of  Points 
1  derived  immediately  from  the  Infinite  Y  and,  Why  there  are 
not  ninety-two.  or  twenty-five,  or  ten  layers  of  Finites  between 
the  Infinite  and  the  Ether'?  these,  and  scores  of  similar  ques- 
tions might  be  idly  asked,  for  his  only  answer  could  be, 
I  have  assumed  whatever  I  thought  requisite  for  the  complete 
symmetry  of  my  theory.  This,  any  open-eyed  reader  of  the 
f  Princijjia'  sees ;  and  Swedenborg  himself  lived  to  reject  his 
mathematical  fiction  concerning  the  process  and  order  of 
Creation. 

Although  I  anticipate  my  narrative,  yet  this  seems  a  fitting 
place  to  quote  a  passage  or  two  from  his  later  works  bearing  on 
the  subject.  Writing  after  he  had  attained  fourscore,  he  says — 

1  The  nature  and  manner  of  Creation  had  often  engaged 
4  my  meditations,  yet  to  no  purpose ;  but  after  I  was  admitted 
*  by  the  Lord  to  the  Spiritual  World  I  perceived  the  impossi- 
'  bility  of  coming  to  any  true  conclusion  about  the  Creation  of 
1  the  Universe,  except  it  is  first  known  that  there  are  two 
1  Worlds,  a  Spiritual  and  a  Natural,  and  two  Suns,  a  Spiritual 
4  and  a  Natural,  by  which  Suns  Creation  was  effected.'* 

Again  he  observes — 

'  Unless  an  idea  be  formed  of  (  rod  as  the  primary  substance 


*  '  Vera  Christiana  lielu/io,'  No.  76.  published  1771.  Here  we  have 
mother  theory  widely  different,  about  which  we  shall  speak  in  its  turn. 


THE  RECANTATION  OF  HIS  NOTION. 


95 


4  and  form,  the  mind  is  filled  with  idle  fancies  As  that 

4  the  Creation  of  the  World  originated  in  Points,  and  afterwards 
4  from  geometrical  lines,  which  as  they  are  not  predicated  of 
4  any  substance,  are  in  fact  mere  nothings.'* 
Again — 

4  It  is  asserted  by  some,  that  a  substance  so  simple  exists, 
4  (say  Points  for  instance),  that  it  is  not  a  form  from  lesser 
4  forms,  and  that  from  that  substance  by  coacervation,  sub- 
1  stantiate  or  composite  things  exist,  and  at  length  those 
4  substances,  which  are  called  Matter.  Nevertheless,  such  a 
4  simple  substance  does  not  exist ;  for  what  is  a  substance 
4  without  a  form  ?  It  is  a  thing  that  nothing  can  be  pre- 
4  cheated  of ;  and  from  an  entity  of  which  nothing  can  be 
4  predicated,  nothing  can  be  compounded  by  coacervation.'f 

The  following  will  show  how,  in  after  years,  he  moderated 
his  notion  of  the  range  of  Mathematics — 

4  The  Geometricians  think,  that  nothing  can  go  beyond  or 
4  rise  above  their  science ;  but  herein  they  are  much  deceived. 
4  The  action  of  the  intestines,  the  very  lowest  and  grossest  of 
4  human  functions,  altogether  baffle  geometric  apprehension. 
4  Geometry  is  terminated  in  the  circle,  or  in  curves  refer- 
4  ring  themselves  to  the  circle,  and  does  not  therefore  even 
4  compass  things  aerial  and  aqueous.  If  therefore,  Geometry 
4  is  unequal  to  these  low  and  easy  things,  how  can  it  ever 
4  attain  to  the  higher !  ever  comprehend  those  subtler  organs 
4  which  receive  Life  !  '\ 

Extracts  of  like  import  might  be  extended;  but  these 
may  suffice  to  prove  that  Swedenborg  rose  above  his  4  Prin- 
4  cipiaf  which,  by  its  easy  4  mathematical  method,'  makes 
4  the  Creation  of  a  World  little  more  mysterious  than  the 
4  cooking  of  a  dumpling. '§ 


*  1  Vera  Christiana  Religio^  No.  20. 

f  1  De  Divino  Amove  et  de  Divina  Sapiential  No.  229,  published  1763. 
%  '  Diarium  Spirituale,'  No.  3,483-4,  5th  October,  1748. 
g  See  '  Sartor  Resartus*  page  1. 


96 


FORTUNATE  GUESSES  IN  THE  PRINCIPIA. 


The  1  Principiaf  amongst  its  few  readers  in  these  days, 
has  not  wanted  admirers,  who  have  found  in  it  anticipations  of 
many  subsequent  discoveries.  It  would  be  surprising  indeed 
if  a  theory  of  such  range  and  elaboration  did  not  strike  out 
some  speculation,  which  Science  might  justify  and  later 
philosophers  repeat. 

From  our  abstract  it  will  be  seen  that  something  akin  to 
the  famous  Nebular  Hypothesis  is  set  forth  in  the  assertion, 
that  the  Earths  are  produced  from  the  condensed  effusions 
of  the  Sun.  Laplace,  who  is  commonly  credited  with  the 
Nebular  Hypothesis,  owns  that  Buffon  first  suggested  to  him 
the  idea  of  the  derivation  of  Planets  and  their  Moons  from 
their  Suns.  Buffon  possessed  Swedenborg's  '  Principiaf  and 
it  may  be  presumed  read  it ;  for  his  copy  with  his  autograph, 
1  Buffon,  1736,'  on  the  title-page,  now  lies  before  me,  lent  to 
me  by  a  friend  who  purchased  it  from  Mr.  II.  (t.  Bohn,  the 
well-known  London  bookseller. 

Even  for  the  Point  there  are  people  to  say  something ;  some 
of  our  scientific  men  think,  *  that  Matter  is  resolvable  in  the 
L  last  analysis,  not  into  definite  atoms  occupying  space,  but 
L  into  Points  of  dynamic  force.'  This  Mr.  Faraday  considers 
demonstrable,  and  substantially  it  is  Swedenborg's  notion  :  the 
Point  is  by  him  defined  as  i  pure  and  total  motion,  an  cver- 
4  lasting  force,'  and  the  seed  of  all  things. 

That  heat  and  electricity  are  latent  in  all  Matter  is  now 
universally  admitted.  Swedenborg  held  that  heat,  light  and 
electricity  were  but  modifications  of  one  Element — the  Mag- 
netic ;  and  that  Magnetism  was  only  one  zone  in  the  series 
which  lav  between  gyrating  Points  at  the  inside,  and  earths 
and  metals  at  the  outside.  It  is  plain  then  that  Magnetism, 
according  to  his  theory,  is  latent  in  all  Matter,  for  it  is  but  one 
of  the  processes  by  which  it  exists. 

Perhaps  the  most  useful  and  fruitful  doctrine  of  the  4  Prin- 
L  cipia^  is  the  doctrine  of  similarity — that  Nature  is  everywhere 
the  same,  in  great  as  in  little, — that  size  makes  no  difference. 


SPIRAL  MOTION  PERVADES  CREATION. 


97 


This  truth  Swedenborg  laid  fast  hold  of  and  never  forgot ;  he 
used  it  unsparingly  as  a  truth  of  universal  application  in  things 
spiritual  as  well  as  natural,  and  few  of  his  pages  can  be  read 
without  meeting  it,  expressed  or  implied. 

Hence  in  the  kPrincipi.aJ  his  Cosmogony  is  only  a  repetition 
of  his  theory  of  the  Point  and  its  Finites ;  the  Sun  becomes  a 
centre  of  Points  breeding  the  Elements,  which  condense  into 
Earths. 

The  existence  of  vortices  throughout  all  Creation  is  main- 
tained in  the  1  Principia  /'  a  spiral  or  vortical  motion,  he  says, 
is  derived  from  the  Point,  and  pervades  every  Finite,  and 
therefore  all  aggregates  of  Finites,  whether  Elemental  or 
Material. 

The  theory  of  vortices  was  advocated  by  Kepler,  Descartes, 
and  Leibnitz ;  but  it  was  regarded  as  exploded  by  Sir  Isaac 
Newton's  doctrine  of  attraction. 

There  is  a  great  difference  however  between  the  theory 
of  vortices  as  taught  by  Swedenborg,  and  by  his  predecessors. 
They  supposed  atoms  and  worlds  to  be  inert  masses,  and,  that 
Earths  were  wheeled  in  their  orbits  by  some  extraneous  force  ; 
Swedenborg  on  the  other  hand  looked  on  each  atom,  and, 
therefore,  on  each  Earth  of  atoms,  as  carrying  in  its  heart  the 
force  of  the  Point,  and  as  being  internally  impelled  thereby  to 
perpetual  vortical  motion.  Moreover  the  spaces  between  Suns 
and  Earths  were  not  voids ;  but  were  filled  with  the  Magnetic 
Element,  which  swathed  the  Earths  in  its  soft  bands,  and 
urged  them  onward  in  their  spiral  ways. 

By  a  Magnet  and  its  sphere  Swedenborg  would  interpret 
the  Universe.  What  indeed  was  the  Universe  but  a  great 
Magnet?  Stars  were  clustered,  and  Suns  and  Earths  and 
Moons  all  moved  under  magnetic  laws. 


II 


1   98  ) 


CHAPTEB  X. 


THE  INFINITE  AND  THE  FINAL  CAUSE  OF  CREATION, 
AND  THE  MECHANISM  OF  THE  INTERCOURSE 
BETWEEN  THE  SOUL  AND  THE  BODY* 


Tins  brief  treatise  Swedenborg  inscribed  to  his  brother-in-law 
Beuzelius,  who  at  that  time  was  Bishop  of  East  Gothland,  a 
rest  in  his  ascent  to  the  primacy  of  the  Swedish  Church.  As 
the  dedication  very  pleasantly  sets  forth  their  fraternal  relation- 
ship in  kindred  and  spirit,  we  cite  it  at  length.  Swedenborg 
writes — 

4  When,  in  one  and  the  same  individual,  we  venerate  merit, 

*  and  acknowledge  the  source  of  personal  kindness,  especially, 

*  if  other  and  extrinsic  ties  be  superadded,  in  such  case, 
1  through  the  harmony  of  nature  and  circumstance,  subsisting 
4  between  us,  we  embrace  him  with  perfect  love.  In  you, 
1  Right  Reverend  Bishop,  and  beloved  Kinsman,  I  venerate  a 
1  wisdom,  equal  to  your  exalted  rank,  and  worthy  of  your 
1  sire ;  and  the  learned  world,  with  one  accord,  confesses  the 
'  same.  In  you  I  acknowledge  the  source  of  personal  benefit, 
4  inasmuch  as  it  was  by  your  advice  and  wishes  that  my  mind 
1  (then  ripening  and  eager  for  study,  though  hesitating  and 
i  ignorant  nevertheless,  as  at  that  early  age  it  is  wont  to  be, 
1  to  what  pursuits  to  turn)  was  directed  to  the  present  and 
1  similar  subjects,  which  were  auguries  of  a  prosperous  career 
4  in  literature.    Moreover,  there  subsists  between  us  the  bond 


*  1  Prodromus  Philosophic  licit iocinantis  de  Injinito  et  Cavm  Fimdi 
'  Creationis  i  deque  MechanUmo  Operationis  Animai  et  Corporis.'  Dresda;  ft 
Lipsiae,  Suinptibus  Fmlerici  Hckelii,  Bihliopol.  Regii,  1734. 


THE  INFINITE  THE  DIFFICULTY  OF  PHILOSOPHY.  99 


4  of  relationship.  From  this  three-fold  ground,  that  is  to  say, 
4  from  veneration  for  your  merits,  from  acknowledgment  of 
'  your  kindness,  and  from  family  ties,  springs  sincere  love, 
4  which  I  trust  you  will  permit  me  here  to  put  on  record.  As 
4  it  was  at  your  instigation  that  I  applied  myself  to  these 
4  studies,  so  I  hope  you  will,  in  a  measure,  acknowledge  thi3 
£  offspring  of  my  powers,  poor  though  it  be,  as  in  some  part 
4  your  own  ;  and  therefore  allow,  that  of  right,  it  should  be 
4  dedicated  to  no  one  but  yourself.  I  claim  for  it  your  favour- 
4  able  consideration,  if  not  on  its  own  account,  yet,  because  of 
4  the  cause  it  pleads ;  if  not  for  its  merits,  yet,  for  the  love  you 
4  bear  its  author.  That  your  life  may  be  as  long  and  happy 
4  as  those  desire,  who  are  your  relations  by  love, — this,  and 
4  more  than  this,  as  I  love  you  more,  is  the  heartfelt  wish  of, 
4  Eight  Reverend  Bishop, 
4  Your  most  obedient  Servant  and  dutiful  Kinsman, 
4  Emanuel  Swedenborg.' 

The  Infinite,  Swedenborg  premises,  is  the  Difficulty  of 
Philosophy. 

4  As  the  mind  in  the  course  of  philosophizing  peers  into  and 
4  courses  over  finite  Nature,  it  cannot  but  at  last  arrive  at  the 
4  utterly  unknown  and  inexplicable,  that  is,  at  the  Infinite  ; 
4  and  as  the  Infinite  is  identical  with  the  Non-finite,  the  mind 
4  there  stops, — there  finds  an  insurmountable  and  impenetrable 
4  difficulty,  a  Gordian  Knot. 

4  The  Philosopher  then  by  a  thousand  curious  efforts  labours 
4  to  know,  what  the  Infinite  can  be,  what  the  Infinite  God  is 
4  like,  what  can  be  the  nature  of  an  Essence  without  end  or 
4  boundary,  and  what  that  something  is  of  the  qualities  of  which 
4  Philosophy  is  doomed  to  perpetual  ignorance ;  whether  the 
4  Infinite  is  identical  with  the  Divine,  whether  there  be  aught 
4  in  Nature  which  can  be  said  to  be  Infinite,  whether  the  Infinite 
4  is  beyond  Nature  or  not,  and  whether  the  qualities  of  the 
4  Infinite  are  to  be  discovered  by  means  of  Nature  or  not. 

•  H  2 


100 


THE  INFINITE  CANNOT  RE  EVADED. 


'  For  where  the  mind  is  not  hindered  by  circumstances  or 
1  Oppressed  with  cares,  it  ever  loves  to  rise  and  mount  on  high  ; 
1  and  the  steeper  the  difficulty,  the  more  heartily  the  mind 
1  engages  with  it :  for  the  mind  burns  to  possess  denied  know- 
'  ledge,  and  to  tread  forbidden  ground  ;  longs,  also,  to  know 
4  secret  things,  and  glories  in  grappling  with  difficulty  :  and  the 
i  longer  it  sticks  in  the  knotty  point,  provided  there  is  hope 
c  that  anything  approaching  to  knowledge  can  be  won,  the 
L  more  earnest  and  burning  do  its  efforts  become.  The  pleasure 
'  of  the  pursuit  lives  and  feeds  upon  itself,  and  dallies  with  the 
1  labouring  soul ;  and  this  continues,  until  the  mind  has  found 
1  what  it  sought,  or  else,  in  sheer  weariness,  is  forced  to  leave 
L  it,  as  hopelessly  inexplicable ;  although  even  in  this  case,  it 
k  i-  not  without  reluctance,  that  the  Philosopher  can  consent  to 
'  forego  his  emprise. 

4  Hence  men  perforce  will  speculate  about  the  Infinite, — 
1  although  the  more  deeply  they  go  the  more  deeply  are  they 
1  involved  in  an  impenetrable  labyrinth. 

4  The  Philosopher  impatient  to  solve  the  difficulty  of  the 
'  Infinite  whets  his  mind,  consults  all  the  oracles  of  Reason,  and 
i  collects  a  thousand  arguments  from  his  Memory.' 

Yet  it  will  be  at  once  observed,  that  the  Philosopher,  his 
Reason,  his  Memory,  and  all  the  powers  and  knowledge  he 
can  command  are  Finite,  and  being  Unite,  in  the  nature  of  the 
case,  they  can  make  no  approach  to  the  Infinite.  He  may 
come  indeed  to  the  conclusion,  that  Nature  and  God  are  one ; 
but  that  is  to  deny  the  Infinite,  for  Nature  is  Finite. 

1  I  will  then  admit,'  he  continues,  1  that  by  no  comparison 
k  with  things  seen  and  finite,  and  by  no  similitude,  and  by  no 
c  force  or  faculty  of  the  understanding  can  we  penetrate  into 
1  any  thing  that  is  in  God,  or  in  His  Infinity.  I  will  also  go 
1  further  and  grant,  that  not  Angels — if  the  reader  believe  in 
1  Angela— can  penetrate  into  the  Essence  of  the  Infinity  of  God. 

'  Perhaps  my  reader  thinks  that  Philosophy  has  no  right  at 
1  all  to  reason  upon  the  Essence  and  Infinity  of  God,  since  such 


THE  UNIVERSE  IS  FINITE. 


101 


{  procedure  is  vain,  and  leads  direct  to  errors ;  and  that  we  ought 
*  to  accept  in  faith  the  fact  of  the  Divine  Infinity,  because  taught 
1  in  the  Holy  Scripture.  I  confess  that  this  is,  in  all  justice,  the 
4  preferable  way,  and  that  Reason  may  properly  be  banished 
4  from  mysteries  and  holy  ground ;  and  moreover,  that  those 
1  persons  are  the  happiest  to  whom  by  grace  it  is  given  to  do 
1  so.  Nevertheless,  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  there  are  vast 
t  numbers  in  the  philosophical  world  who  have  no  choice  left  in 
'  tliis  matter,  but  who  fall  into  deep  thought  on  the  Divine 
c  Essence  ;  for  the  law  of  humanity  is,  that  if  the  mind  begins 

1  to  reason,  it  cannot  help  going  deeper  and  deeper  

'  The  human  mind  has  an  innate  desire  to  philosophize  on  the 
1  unknown,  and  all  the  more  if  God  or  the  Soul,  or  Salvation 
4  be  under  discussion.  Every  one  has  not  the  power  to  dictate 
L  the  course  of  his  thoughts,  and  the  persistency  of  the  Philo- 
1  sopher  in  his  search  for  the  Infinite  is  natural  and  human.' 

The  question  then  is,  Whether  there  be  an  Infinite,  or 
not  ?  Whether  God  be  of  such  a  nature,  that  He  can  be  called 
Infinite  ? 

To  narrow  the  discussion,  he  asks  his  reader  to  accept  the 
conclusion,  1  to  which  Reason  assents,  that  in  Nature  the 
1  Infinite  is  impossible.  Nature  is  composed  of  Finites ;  and 
1  Finites,  though  multiplied  indefinitely,  can  never  become 
'  Infinite. 

1  Some  have  attempted  to  make  out,  that  Nature,  or  the 
1  Universe  is  not  Finite,  but  Infinite — that  the  Heavens  are 
1  illimitable  and  unending — that  the  World  is  eternal  and  ever- 
'  lasting.  So  thought  Aristotle  and  certain  of  his  followers. 
1  They  fancied,  that  in  this  way,  they  had  found  a  God,  who 
1  was  at  once  Finite  and  Infinite.  They  saw  that  the  Uni- 
1  verse  was  finite  to  the  senses,  but  they  thought  that  if  they 
i  took  away  from  it  all  boundaries,  or  supposed  it  circular,  or 
1  in  some  other  way  imagined  it  without  end,  that  they  would 
4  thereby  conceive  the  Infinite.  The  Infinite,  in  short,  they 
'  regarded  as  Space  without  end,  and  Time  without  beginning. 


L02 


THE  INFINITE  A  NECESSITY  DP  REASON. 


4  Had  they  chosen  to  reason  deeper,  they  would 

4  have  perceived  that  a  Universe  of  Finites  forming  an  Infinite 
4  God  are  irreconcilable  notions ;  for,  if  you  recognize  parts  in 
4  the  Universe,  you  thereby  recognize  mere  Finites  as  com- 
4  posing  it ;  and,  if  you  recognize  moments  in  Time,  you  do 
4  the  same.    How  then  can  any  number  of  these  Finites  be 

4  Infinite"?  How  can  a  Universe  of  Finites  be 

4  without  limits  V  Each  part  has  its  limits — why  not  the  whole  ? 
4  Labour  as  you  please  to  conceive  the  Finite  without  boun- 
4  daries,  you  must  yet  answer  these  questions ;  and,  if  you 
4  answer  truly,  your  Reason  cannot  but  admit  that  the  Uni- 
4  verse  is  finite ;  for,  although  your  imagination  pass  through 
4  myriads  and  myriads  of  worlds,  you  still  must  come  to  an 
4  end ;  and  a  Universe  finite  in  its  parts  must  needs  be  finite 
4  as  a  whole.' 

Admitting  then,  that  the  Universe,  Nature,  or  Creation  is 
finite,  he  next  inquires,  By  whom  was  the  Universe  created, 
caused,  or  finited'?  If  it  be  answered,  that  Nature  created  or 
originated  itself,  a  reply  is  made  which  is  flatly  repugnant  to 
Reason ;  for  that  is  saying,  that  it  existed  before  it  did  exist ; 
that  it  created  itself.  If  it  be  said,  that  God  created  Nature, 
and  God  be  thought  of  as  finite,  the  question  is  not  answered, 
but  evaded  or  deferred;  for,  if  God  be  finite,  we  renew  our 
inquiry  and  ask,  By  whom  was  God  finited,  created,  or  caused  V 
We  have  here  the  child's  question  following  his  instruction, 
that  God  made  him — Then,  who  made  God? 

Thus  driven  inwards  from  Finite  to  Finite,  from  Cause  to 
Cause,  we  are  at  last  compelled  to  stop  and  own  a  first  and 
original  Cause,  itself  un-caused  and  un-finite,  and  therefore 
Infinite. 

By  this  process  our  author  extorts  the  confession  of  the 
Infinite,  as  the  Cause  and  the  Creator  of  the  finite  Universe. 

Having  admitted  the  Infinite  his  next  lesson  is,  that  we 
can  never  know  what  the  Infinite  is :  that  we  can  do  no  more 
than  say  the  Infinite  is.     4  Poor  fooliflh  Reason  1  has  long 


THE  INFINITE  IS  INCOMPREHENSIBLE. 


103 


striven  hopelessly  to  conceive  the  Infinite  by  the  Finite, 
although  the  mere  terms  of  the  case  ought  to  have  taught  her 
a  wholesome  despair. 

1  The  greatest  master  of  learning  can  no  more  imagine 
L  what  the  Infinite  is  than  the  simplest  rustic.  If  it  is  said 
1  that  God  is  like  a  man  or  an  idol,  or  like  the  least  or  the 
4  greatest  thing,  to  us,  one  simile  may  be  grosser  than  another; 
4  but  to  God,  the  Infinite,  one  simile  is  gross  as  the  other.  No 
4  difference  in  Finites  is  any  difference  to  the  Infinite,  for  there 
4  is  no  ratio  of  likeness  or  unlikeness  between  the  Infinite  and 
4  the  Finite.' 

His  next  step  he  describes — 

4  Having  attained  a  confession  of  the  Infinite,  so  that  nolens 
4  volens  Reason  is  obliged  to  admit  a  something  which  is 
4  utterly  unknown,  and  which  never  can  be  resolved  by  the 
4  known,  a  Being  who  is  properly  termed  Infinite,  let  us 
4  now  take  this  tacit  admission  and  proceed  onwards  and  see 
4  whether  we  can  by  Reason  attain  a  still  more  distinct 
4  acknowledgment,  that  there  is  an  Infinite  God  the  producer 
4  of  Nature.  Reasoning  h  priori  we  have  found,  that  this 
4  Unknown  Being  exists,  or,  that  there  is  an  Infinite.  We 
4  will  now  inquire  experimentally  whether  the  same  conclusion 
4  does  not  become  irresistible  reasoning,  a  posteriori.'' 

In  order  to  do  this  he  adduces  a  variety  of  reflections  on 
the  immensity  and  the  order  of  the  Universe,  as  seen  in  the 
Heavens  and  the  structure  of  the  human  body  and  infers 
therefrom  the  necessary  existence  of  an  Infinite  Creator  and 
Designer.  He  had  evidently  at  this  time  (1733-4)  begim  to 
grow  familiar  with  anatomy. 

In  conclusion,  he  enters  into  some  obscure  and  difficult 
reasoning  about  a  nexus,  or  medium  of  connection  between 
the  Infinite  and  the  Finite,  between  God  and  His  Creation. 
The  Infinite  was  the  cause  of  the  Finite ;  but  the  Finite  is 
perfectly  distinct  from  the  Infinite :  Creation  is  from  God ;  but 
nothing  of  God  is  in  Creation.    Creation  moreover  is  not  a 


104       THE  BRIDGE  BETWEEN  INFINITE  AND  FINITE. 


work  done  and  abandoned;  but  a  work  in  constant  progress 
and  renewal :  maintained  in  every  atom  of  its  existence  by  a 
perpetual  efflux  from  the  Infinite.  How  then  is  the  chasm 
between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite  bridged  over?  How  is 
Nature  adjoined  to  God? 

1  Without  a  nexus  the  Finite  could  neither  exist  nor  subsist. 
4  Unless  the  First  Finites  were  related  to  the  Infinite  by  a 
1  nexus  of  some  kind  they  would  be  at  once  annihilated,  and 
1  the  Universe  dissipated  outright.1 

In  1  The  Principia*  we  noticed,  that  he  selected  Points  for 
this  office  of  mediation  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite : 
1  like  Janus  looking  both  ways.'  Xow  he  is  less  positive  and 
in  perplexity,  directing  his  attention  1  at  one  time  to  the 
'  Infinite,  and  at  another  to  the  First  Finite,  hoping  to  discover 
1  the  nexus  from  the  latter  though  not  from  the  former,  and 
1  standing  hardly  knowing  which  road  to  take  between  some 
'  light  and  more  darkness.' 

This  conclusion  is  at  last  attained — 

i  The  nexus  is  affirmed,  but  it  is  not  known,  we  declare  its 
4  certain  existence,  but  pretend  to  no  knowledge  of  its  qualities. 
c  The  nexus  is  Infinite  and  equally  unknown  as  the  Infinite  itself.1 

This  was  discouraging.  Evidently  his  next  duty  was  to 
evolve  from  his  Reason  a  nexus  between  the  unknown  Infinite 
nexus  and  the  Finite.  Strangely  enough  he  elects  Jesus  Christ 
to  the  office  of  the  nexus  between  the  Infinite  and  the  First 
Finites  !    His  idea  was,  that — 

1  Where  Reason  is  perplexed  in  her  apprehensions  recourse 
4  must  at  once  be  had  to  Revelation;  and  when  Revelation 
1  gives  us  no  answer  we  must  fly  to  the  oracle  of  Reason.  In 
1  this  way,  Natural  Theology  must  proffer  her  hand  to  Revealed, 
L  when  the  meaning  of  Revelation  seems  doubtful ;  and  Re- 
1  vealed  Theology  must  lend  her  aid  in  turn,  to  Rational 
1  Theology,  when  Reason  is  in  straits.' 

His  Reason  being  in  straits  then  about  the  nexus,  he  flies 
to  Revelation,  and  this  is  his  deliveranee — 


INTERCOURSE  OF  SOUL  AND  BODY. 


105 


4  Let  us  now  see  whether  God  Himself  has  not  been  pleased 
4  to  reveal  to  us  this  very  thing ;  for  He  tells  us,  that  He  had, 
4  from  Eternity,  an  only  begotten  Son,  and,  that  this  only 
4  begotten  Son  is  Infinite  and  is  God,  and,  that  the  connection 
'"between  the  Finite  and  the  Infinite  is  effected  by  the  only 
4  begotten  Infinite  Son  and  God  ;  and  that  the  Father  and  Son 
4  are  one  God,  both  Infinite,  both  the  Creator  of  the  Finite 
4  Universe,  that  both  concurred  in  the  work  of  Creation,  yet 
*  that  the  two  are  so  distinct,  that  the  one  is  the  Father  and 
1  the  other  the  Son,  the  one  the  first  Person,  the  other  the 
4  second ;  wherefore  in  respect  to  the  names  of  Father  and 
4  Son,  and  in  respect  to  the  word  Person,  they  are  indeed  two, 
4  but  in  Infinity  and  Divinity,  they  are  one  and  the  same.  In 
4  this  way  we  have  here  something,  like  what  Reason  had 
4  dictated,  to  wit,  the  existence  of  a  nexus,  between  the  Finite 
4  and  the  Infinite ;  also,  the  declaration,  that  the  final  cause 
4  belongs  to  the  Infinite,  but  through  the  nexus  of  the  Son ; 
4  and,  that  the  connection  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite 
4  is  through  the  Son  and  through  nothing  else.  Thus,  then 
4  we  have  a  concurrence  of  Revelation  and  Reason  in  the 
4  matter  of  the  nexus. 

4  For  the  present  then,  let  us  rest  content  in  the  certainty, 
4  that  through  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  the  First  Finites 
4  are  connected  with  the  Last,  and  both  with  God.' 

The  very  title  of  the  second  part  of  the  treatise  before  us, 
4  The  Mechanism  of  the  Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the 
4  Body,'  indicates  a  piece  of  thorough  Materialism. 

He  first  decides,  that  the  Soul  is  not  Infinite  inasmuch  as 
it  is  not  God,  but  created  by  God ;  and  not  being  Infinite,  it 
must  be  Finite,  and  being  Finite,  it  must  therefore  be  included 
somewhere  in  that  Universe,  which  commencing  in  Points, 
ends  in  Earth. 

The  Soul  being  Finite  must  have  extension,  4  for  the 
4  Finite  is  not  conceivable  apart  from  extension  


106 


THE  SOUL  THE  INMOST  OF  THE  BODY. 


1 1  do  not  care  how  small  a  Finite  may  be,  it  must  occupy 
'  space. 

1  In  all  objects  perceived  by  the  Senses,  there  are  none, 
1  which  do  not  come  under  the  empire  of  Geometry  and  Me- 
c  chanics ;  and  as  all  tilings  winch  are  gross  enough  to  be  seen 
4  are  derived  by  condensation  and  coacervation  from  the  sub- 
1  tile,  inner  Elements,  we  have  every  right  to  conclude,  that 
1  the  same  laws  which  govern  in  the  lowest,  govern  in  the 
4  highest.  It  is  in  fact  a  mere  question  of  size  ;  because  par- 
1  tides  are  so  minute  as  to  elude  our  eyes  is  no  reason  why 
'  they  should  elude  the  laws  of  Geometry  and  Mechanics :  it 
1  has  been  settled,  that  size  makes  no  difference,  for,  Do  we 
i  not  behold  the  same  Mechanism  in  the  trunk  of  a  fly  and  an 
c  elephant  ? ' 

By  this  reasoning  he  catches  the  Soul  in  the  net  of  the 
Finite  and  the  Material,  and  discourses  over  it  geometrically 
and  mechanically. 

4  The  Soul  is  in  Nature  and  was  sent  into  Nature  by  God. 

i  It  admits  of  being  enclosed  within  the  Finite,  that 

'  is,  within  the  Body  It  is  clear  from  experience, 

4  altogether  apart  from  reasoning,  that  the  Soul  is  a  constituent 
i  of  the  Body,  limited  to  it,  and  one  of  the  Body's  natural 

4  parts  The  Soul  is  natural  or  physical  It  is 

4  the  last  and  subtilest  part  of  the  Body. 

c  The  Soul  dwells  in  no  particular  gland,  in  no  particular 
4  membrane,  nor  is  it  diffused  all  over  the  Body.  The  Soul's 
4  dwelling-place  is  where  the  membranes  pass  into  their  highest 

1  attenuations  and  reach  their  finest  subtilty  The  seat 

4  of  the  Rational  Soul  is  in  the  Brain  and  does  not  extend 
4  beyond  it.  The  Soul  resides  particularly  in  the  cortical 
*  substance  of  the  cerebrum,  and  partly  also  in  the  medullary 
4  where  exquisitely  fine  membranes  run  from  particle  to 
1  particle,  and  above,  around  and  within  each  particle.  The 
1  Son]  is  ubiquitous  in  all  parti  of  the  Brain." 

Between  his  Soul  and  his  Body  of  flesh,  Mood  and  bones, 


DIFFICULTIES  OF  THE  THEORY. 


107 


Man  comprises  all  the  Elements,  which  lie  between  the  Sun 
and  the  Earth :  by  his  Soul  he  is  kin  to  the  Sun,  by  his  Body 
to  the  Earth.  By  vibrations  all  influences  from  without 
ascend  through  the  Senses,  by  the  graduated  Elements,  to  the 
Soul.  1  Such  vibratory  or  tremulous  motion  is  the  cause  of 
4  all  sensation.'  Down  the  same  ways  by  vibrations  the  Soul 
from  her  centre  issues  her  mandates  to  the  Body. 

Such  was  Swedenborg's  theory  of  4  the  Mechanism  of  the 
4  Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the  Body.'  He  had  too 
much  good  sense  not  to  feel  its  defects ;  but  one  of  the  vices  of 
his  mind  was  an  impatience  of  uncertainty,  and  to  attain  a 
fully  rounded  doctrine  he  was  far  too  ready  to  cover  the 
unknown  with  theory,  evolved  from  very  imperfect  data  of 
the  known. 

To  reach  the  Soul,  and  discover  what  it  was,  had  become 
his  consuming  desire — 

4  The  Sciences  are  diving  continually  deeper  and  deeper 
4  into  the  mysteries  of  Nature,  and  continually  detecting 
4  correspondences  between  the  grosser  and  finer  substances 
4  of  the  World.  Why  should  we  not  press  inwards  to  a 
4  knowledge  of  the  Soul  ?  so  as  to  forestal  our  posterity  and 
4  prevent  them  laughing  at  us,  as  we  ourselves  now  laugh  at 
4  some  of  the  old  philosophers.' 

That  he  had  his  doubts  about  his  theory  is  evident  from 
several  expressions.    He  naturally  felt,  that — 

4  If  the  Soul  be  mechanical  and  geometrical  it  may  be 
4  difficult  to  explain  many  of  its  faculties ;  as  Imagination, 
4  Perception,  Reason,  Memory,  Ideas,  &c.' 

Difficult,  indeed  !   He  meets  his  doubt  in  this  suggestion : 

4  Why  may  not  mechanical  laws  exist  in  a  superlative  per- 
4  fection  adequate  to  these  offices  ? ' — and  promises,  4  that,  in 
4  a  work  to  which  this  essay  is  only  preliminary,  we  shall 
4  demonstrate,  that  the  Soul  is  perfectly  mechanical,  and,  that 
4  it  is  immortal  and  cannot  perish  unless  the  Universe  itself  be 
4  annihilated.' 


108 


CHANGE  AND  UNCERTAINTY  OF  MIND. 


In  the  introduction  to  1  The  Prineijriaf  published  in  the 
former  year  (1733),  Swedenborg  had  said,  that — 

4  In  respect  to  the  Soul  and  its  various  faculties,  I  do  not 
1  conceive  it  possible  that  they  can  be  explained  or  compre- 
4  bended  by  any  of  the  known  laws  of  motion.  Such,  indeed, 
4  is  our  present  state  of  ignorance,  that  we  know  not  whether 
4  the  motions  by  which  the  Soul  operates  on  the  organs  of 
4  the  Body  are  reducible  under  any  law  or  rule,  either  similar 
4  or  dissimilar  to  those  of  Mechanism.' 

Now  (in  1734)  he  has  come  to  another  conclusion — 

4  The  Soul  is  subject  to  mechanical  and  geometrical  laws. 
4  As  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  any  finite  existence  without 
4  extension,  or  extension  without  form,  or  extension  and  form 
4  together,  when  motion  is  performed  without  mechanism  ;  or 
4  mechanism  without  figure  ;  so  I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  to  know, 
4  how  it  can  be  shown,  that  there  are  other  rules  or  laws  of 
4  Nature  beyond  those  that  are  geometrical  and  mechanical.' 

Yet  he  did  not  close  the  lid  of  the  geometrical  box  upon 
the  Soul  without  misgivings — 

4  If  any  one  can  point  out  to  me — I  will  not  insist  upon 
4  demonstration — but  if  any  one  can  point  out,  how  any  other 
4  than  geometrical  and  mechanical  laws  are  possible  in  our 
4  finite  Creation,  I  will  cede  the  whole  argument.  As,  however, 
4  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  any  finite  existence  without  ex- 
4  tension,  and  extension  without  form,  and  extension  and  form 
4  together  with  motion  devoid  of  mechanism,  so  I  am  utterly 
4  at  a  loss  to  know  how  the  Soul  can  exist  save  as  a  subject  of 

4  Geometry  and  Mechanics  He  who  denies  extension 

4  to  the  Soul,  denies  that  the  Soul  is  finite.'' 

Deeper  in  the  mud-holes  of  Materialism  he  could  scarcely 
go.  The  year  he  had  spent  in  Germany,  reading  and  com- 
muning with  Wolf  and  his  set,  had  hurried  him  into  positions 
from  which  his  own  good  sense  had  saved  him  when  writing 
'•The  Princij)ia)  at  home  in  Stockholm.  Now  he  thinks  every- 
thing, which  is  not  Go  1,  everything  created  by  the  infinite. 


PROMISES  OF  NEW  TREATISES. 


109 


inasmuch  as  it  is  Finite,  must  needs  be  material,  possess  length, 
breadth  and  thickness,  and  exist  under  the  rule  of  Geometry 
and  Mechanics.  Afflicted  with  an  itch  for  simplicity,  he  gains 
his  end  by  reducing  the  Universe  to  one  common  stuff  called 
Matter,  thin  at  the  centre  in  Suns  and  Souls,  and  thick  at  the 
outside  in  Earths  and  Metals. 

We  may  pity,  or  smile  at  these  attempts  of  Swedenborg 
to  conjure  the  secrets  of  Creation  out  of  his  Eeason ;  but  he 
tried  to  do  no  more  than  whole  regiments  of  Philosophers 
ancient,  modern  and  contemporary ;  but  happy  beyond  most 
of  them  was  he,  for  he  escaped  from  his  geometrical  and 
mechanical  delusion,  and  cursed  it  in  a  way  I  need  not  here 
repeat. 

We  have  noticed,  that  Swedenborg  speaks  of  this  book  on 
' The  Infinite1  as  'an  essay  merely  preliminary  to  a  work  in 
1  which  I  will  prove,  that  the  Soul  is  perfectly  mechan  ical,  and 
1  that  it  is  immortal;''  and  in  several  places  he  repeats  the 
promise  telling  us  in  one  instance,  that  he  '  designs  to  speak 
4  more  at  length  of  the  Soul  in  the  Body  in  special  treatises 
c  the  purpose  of  which  will  be  to  demonstrate  the  immortality 
i  of  the  Soul  to  the  very  Senses.' 

To  discover  then  the  Soul  in  the  Body  he  betook  himself 
with  all  his  vigour  to  the  study  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology : 
with  what  results  we  shall  presently  see. 

In  1745,  ten  years  after  this,  he  printed  a  work  in  London 
on  1  The  Worship  and  Love  of  God?  It  is  mentioned  now, 
because  from  internal  evidence  it  appears  to  have  been  written 
about  this  time  ;  and  because  when  speaking  of  Christ  as  the 
nexus  between  God  and  Nature  in  the  book  before  us,  he 
remarks,  '  We  shall  have  more  to  say  on  this  head  when,  in 
1  pursuance  of  our  present  plan,  we  come  to  speak  of  Divine 
L  Woi'shij).'* 


*  Chapter  i.,  Section  xiv.  at  the-end. 


no 


CHAPTER  XL 


THE  DEATH  OF  BISHOP  SVEDBERG. 


Right  glad  was  the  old  Bishop  to  receive  his  son  back  from 
Germany,  a  recognized  Philosopher.  His  memory  had  grown 
treacherous,  his  nerves  tremulous,  but  his  eves  never  needed 
spectacles,  and  he  beheld  with  a  proud  joy  the  handsome 
volumes  of  the  '  Opera  Philosophica  et  MineraliaJ  printed  at 
a  Duke's  cost,  and  fumbled  through  the  leaves  for  the  pictures, 
chief  among  which  was  his  own  Emanuel's  portrait.  The  hour 
of  his  release  from  the  business  of  this  world  was  at  hand,  but 
in  Emanuel's  honours  there  was  a  sweet  satisfaction  over  which 
he  could  sleep  and  wake  in  delight. 

In  words  which  I  have  already  in  part  quoted,  Svedberg 
thus  expresses  his  comfort  in  his  son  up  to  the  ripe  age  of 
forty — 

^  Emanuel,  my  son's  name,  signifies  u  God  with  us,"  a 
4  name  which  should  constantly  remind  him  of  the  nearness  of 
1  God,  and  of  that  interior,  holy,  and  mysterious  connection 
i  in  which,  through  faith,  we  stand  with  our  good  and  gracious 
4  God :  and  blessed  be  the  Lord's  name  !  God  has  to  this  hour 
4  been  with  him,  and  may  God  further  be  with  him,  until  he  is 
1  eternally  united  with  Him  in  His  Kingdom  !' 

The  Autobiography  from  which  this  passage  is  taken,* 

*  Besides  several  others  which  have  been  absorbed  in  the  course  of  the 
narrative.  Copies  of  the  Autobiography  exist  to  this  day,  in  manuscript,  in 
Sweden ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  work  so  characteristic  and  amusing  may 
soon  find  an  editor  and  a  printer.  In  the  preparation  of  this  account  of  Bishop 
Svedberg,  I  have  been  greatly  indebted  for  information  to  his  Memoir  in  a 
Swedish  Biographical  Cyclopaedia — '  Biographkkt  Lexicon  hfver  Namnkunn'ujc 
Svenska  Man:    Upsala,  1849. 


BISHOP  SVKDBERG'S  FUNERAL. 


Ill 


was  composed  by  the  Bishop  when  he  was  between  seventy-six 
and  seventy-nine  years  old,  from  1729  to  1732.  With  his  own 
hand  he  made  six  copies,  in  folios  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
pages,  as  he  says,  4  with  good  intention  and  in  a  fatherly  spirit,' 
and  dedicated  them  with  his  usual  sublime  self-assurance,  4  to 
4  my  children  and  posterity  as  an  example  how  to  conduct 
1  themselves  after  my  death.' 

In  1734,  December  17th,  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Sciences 
of  St.  Petersburg  elected  Swedenborg  a  corresponding  Member. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1735,  Bishop  Svedberg  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two,  having  ruled  in  the  diocese  of  Skara  for 
thirty-three  years.  His  body  was  placed  in  a  vault,  he  had 
set  apart  in  the  cloister  church  of  Varnhem,  and  over  the  door 
of  which  he  had  placed  an  oval  stone  with  this  inscription — 

BISKOPEN9 
DOCTOR  JESPER  SVEDBERGS 

OCH  DESS  K.  HUSTRUS 
FRU    SARA  SVEDENBORGS 
HVILO-RUM 
A  :  D  1720. 

Which  being  interpreted,  reads — 

BISHOP 

DOCTOR  JESPER  SVEDBERG 
AND  HIS  BELOVED  WIFE 
MRS.     SARA  SVEDENBORG'S 
RESTING-PLACE 
A.  D.  1720. 

The  managing  man  had  so  far  back  as  the  year  1718 
written  out  precise  and  ample  directions  for  his  funeral. 
4  There  is  to  be  no  fus3  made  about  my  corpse ;  the  Masters 
1  of  Arts  and  the  Clergy  of  the  vicinity  are  to  bear  it  from  my 
L  house  to  the  grave,  and  if  they  grow  tired  the  parishioners  will 
4  relieve  them.  The  funeral  will  take  place  by  daylight,  so 
'  that  there  may  be  no  need  for  flambeaux  or  torches ;  the 


112 


S VEDBE  m  1*8  CH  A RACTER. 


4  funeral  sermon  will  be  taken  from  the  text — 4  I  believe  in  the 
4  4  communion  of  Saints,  the  remission  of  sins,  the  resurrection 
4  4  of  the  body,  and  life  everlasting.  Amen.'  Music  and  organ 
4  will  be  silent,  and  only  the  hymn — 1  I  know  1  shall  again 
4  4  arise' — sung  at  the  end.  Meat  and  drink  will  be  abundantly 
4  provided  for  the  invited  guests,  and  the  remnants  of  the  feast 
4  distributed  among  the  poor  of  Asaka  and  Saranaka.  The 
4  funeral  memoirs,  written  by  myself,  will  be  read  before  the 
4  sermon.' 

Thus  closed  the  long  life  of  the  busy  Bishop,  a  man 
spiritual  and  worldly,  liberal  and  intolerant,  generous  and 
grasping,  lively  and  serious,  and  in  all  things  restless  and 
aggressive.  Entertaining  it  likely  was  to  meet  Svedberg  once 
in  a  while,  and  hear  the  rattle  of  his  audacious  tongue,  and 
enter  into  the  bustle  of  his  doings ;  but  to  be  associated  with  him 
permanently,  must  indeed  have  been  weariness  to  the  flesh  of 
all  whose  ways  were  not  as  his  ways.  To  the  health  of  his 
enemies,  who  he  reckoned  many,  he  used  to  drink ;  but  it  is 
easier  to  imagine,  that  he  was  disliked  as  4  a  bore,'  as  an  in- 
truder into  matters  beyond  his  pale,  and  as  an  upsetter  of 
comfortable  routine,  than,  that  he  was  seriously  hated  as  a  foe. 
On  the  same  ground  we  should  suppose  that  he  was  liked  by 
his  admirers  rather  than  reverenced  or  loved.  There  was  not 
stillness  enough  in  him  to  afford  leisure  for  friendship,  and  his 
three  mercantile  marriages  prove,  that  his  sensibilities  were  of 
a  very  coarse  texture. 

Music  was  a  passion  with  Svedberg.  We  read,  that  one 
Peter  Hesselius,  a  clergyman,  was  used  to  spend  his  evenings 
with  his  violin  and  flute  at  the  Bishop's  fireside,  and  wile  away 
the  hours  with  their  favourite  tunes.  4 Heaven,1  said  Svedberg, 
4  is  the  land  of  music.  There  all  motions  are  melodies.  When 
4 1  hear  the  roar  of  the  waterfalls  and  the  clatter  of  the 
4  mills,  they  bring  to  mind  the  constant  harmonies  I  shall 
*  enjoy  when  1  ascend  to  my  eternal  home  and  abide  with  the 
4  Angels.' 


BISHOP  SVEDBERG'S  CHARACTER. 


113 


Peculiarly  notable  in  Svedberg  was  his  omnipresent  self- 
esteem  ;  in  all  his  affairs  the  Lord  was  on  his  side,  and  the 
Devil  on  his  adversary's.  In  that  conviction  lay  the  secret  of 
his  pertinacity,  his  naivete,  and  his  perpetual  activity.  He 
never  saw  himself  as  others  saw  him ;  hence  he  felt  none  of 
that  timidity,  which  afflicts  those  who  can  see  themselves  out 
of  their  neighbour's  eyes.  His  frankness  was  not  sincerity  so 
much  as  ignorance  of  the  effect  of  his  words.  Dulness  of  this  sort 
13  a  qualification  for  a  certain  order  of  worldly  success.  Men 
who  are  dead  to  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  others  concerning 
them,  and  supremely  satisfied  with  their  own  lightness,  can 
drive  their  measures  through  society  in  a  style  utterly  im- 
possible to  sensitive  organizations.  It  is  plain,  that  was 
Svedberg's  case.  Indifferent,  because  dead,  to  unspoken 
opinion,  he  was  able  to  work  incessantly  without  being  be- 
wildered by  a  doubt  or  troubled  with  a  fear.  Direct  resistance 
in  speech  and  action  alone  affected  him,  and  he  was  satisfied  if 
his  imperious  wishes  were  obeyed  without  taking  any  heed  of 
the  motives  from  which  obedience  was  yielded. 

Varied  by  culture,  circumstance,  and  direction,  we  shall 
observe  in  Emanuel  Swedenborg  an  essential  repetition  of  his 
father's  mind. 

Bishop  Svedberg  left  a  considerable  fortune.  Swedenborg's 
share,  added  to  what  he  had  inherited  from  his  step-mother, 
placed  him  in  independence,  and  set  him  free  to  pursue  his 
studies.  In  the  following  year  he  therefore  found  a  substitute 
for  his  Assessorship,  and  to  him  resigned  the  half  of  his  salary 
of  1,200  dalers,  and  set  off  for  the  Continent  in  order  to  study 
Anatomy  and  Physiology,  and  print  his  promised  books.  A 
daler  in  1736  was  worth  about  ninepence,  and  his  official 
income  transmuted  into  English  coin  came  to  £44  8s.  lOd. ; 
a  sum  which,  it  is  almost  needless  to  remark,  had  in  Sweden 
more  than  a  hundred  vears  a^o  a  value  that  £44  Ss.  lOd. 
very  distantly  represents. 

l 


114 


CHAPTER  XII. 


SEVEN  YEARS  OF  TRAVEL  AND  OF  PHYSIOLOGICAL 

STUDIES. 


4  On  the  1st  of  July,  1736/  says  Swedenborg  in  a  journal,* 
4 1  received  permission  from  our  most  august  King,  to  enter 
4  upon  a  journey  into  foreign  parts  for  the  space  of  three  or 
4  four  years,  that  I  might  compose  and  publish  some  literary 
4  work. 

4  On  the  3rd  of  July  I  had  the  honour  of  an  interview  with 
4  the  King  and  Queen,  who  most  graciously  received  me  in 
4  the  palace  of  Carlberg.  Between  the  3rd  and  10th  of  the 
4  month  I  saluted  the  Councilors  of  the  Kingdom,  and  on  the 
4  9th  I  took  leave  of  the  Assessors  of  the  College.'  On  the 
10th  he  set  out. 

He  first  sailed  to  Denmark,  and  on  the  voyage  encountered 
a  tempest  which  lasted  three  days.  In  Copenhagen  he  spent 
about  a  week,  then  went  to  Hamburg,  and  then  into  Hanover 
and  Holland  arriving  in  Amsterdam  where  he  4  saw  many 
4  friends.  The  entire  city  aspires  after  nothing  but  gain.'  In 
Rotterdam  he  came  into  the  midst  of  a  fair  and  after  some 
notes  on  the  amusements  of  the  people,  mountebanks,  and 
shows  he  makes  these  reflections  on  the  prosperity  of  the 
Hutch. 

4  Here  at  Rotterdam,  it  has  suggested  itself  to  me  to  in- 


*  This  journal  was  written  in  Swedish,  and  what  portions  exist  were 
translated  into  Latin  by  Dr.  Kahl,  and  printed  by  Dr.  Tafel.  '  E.  Swedenborgii 
'  Itinerarium  cx  oj>cri0us  ejus  posthu mis  in  Museo  Aeademiot  liegice  Ilolmiensis 
'  Asservatis.  Statlyardur  opmd  Ebnrr  et  Seuhrrt.  1844.'  Our  extracts  are 
made  from  this  translation. 


SWEDENBORG  ON  THE  DUTCH. 


115 


4  quire  why  it  is  that  God  has  blessed  a  people  so  barbarous 
4  and  boorish  as  the  Dutch,  with  such  a  fertile  and  luxuriant 
4  soil ;  that  He  has  preserved  them,  for  so  long  a  course  of 
4  years,  from  all  misfortune ;  that  He  has  raised  them  up  in 
4  commerce  above  all  other  nations ;  and  made  their  provinces 
4  the  mart  and  emporium  of  the  wealth  of  Europe  and  the 
4  world.  On  consideration,  the  first  and  principal  cause  of 
4  these  circumstances  appears  to  be,  that  Holland  is  a  republic, 
4  which  form  of  government  is  more  pleasing  to  God  than  an 
4  absolute  monarchy.  In  a  republic,  no  veneration  or  worship 
4  is  paid  to  any  man,  but  the  highest  and  lowest  think  them- 
4  selves  equal  to  kings  and  emperors  ;  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
4  characteristic  bearing  of  every  one  in  Holland.  The  only  one 
4  whom  they  worship  is  God.  And  when  God  alone  is  wor- 
4  shipped,  and  men  are  not  adored  instead  of  Him,  such  worship 
4  is  most  acceptable  to  Him. 

4  Then  again,  in  Holland,  there  is  the  greatest  liberty. 
4  None  are  slaves,  but  all  are  as  lords  and  masters  under  the 
4  government  of  the  most  high  God ;  and  the  consequence  is, 
4  that  they  do  not  repress  their  manliness  either  by  shame  or 
4  fear,  but  always  preserve  a  firm  and  sound  mind  in  a  sound 
4  body ;  and  with  a  free  spirit, 'and  an  erect  countenance,  com- 
4  mit  themselves  and  their  property  to  God,  Who  alone  ought 
4  to  govern  all  things.  It  is  not  so  in  absolute  monarchies, 
4  where  men  are  educated  to  simulation  and  dissimulation ; 
4  where  they  learn  to  have  one  thing  concealed  in  the  breast, 
4  and  to  bring  forth  another  upon  the  tongue ;  where  their 
4  minds,  by  inveterate  custom,  become  so  false  and  counterfeit, 
4  that  in  Divine  worship  itself,  their  words  differ  from  their 
4  thoughts,  and  they  proffer  their  flattery  and  deceit  to  God 
4  Himself,  which  certainly  must  be  most  displeasing  to  Him. 
4  These  seem  to  be  the  reasons  why  the  Dutch  are  more 
4  prosperous  in  their  undertakings  than  other  nations.  Their 
4  worshipping  Mammon,  however,  as  a  Deity,  and  caring  for 
'  nothing  but  gold,  is  a  thing  not  compatible  with  long  pros- 

i  2 


116 


HOLLAND  AND  FRANCE* 


4  perity ;  yet  perhaps  there  arc  ten  in  a  thousand,  or  in  ten 
'  thousand,  who  avert  the  punishment,  and  cause  the  rest  to 
1  participate  with  them  in  the  abundance  and  blessings  of 
4  this  life.' 

From  Rotterdam  he  went  to  Antwerp,  and  thence  to 
Brussels  and  other  towns  of  Belgium.  On  his  journey  from 
Antwerp  to  Brussels  by  treksckuii  the  river  boat  of  the 
Netherlands),  he  had  among  his  fellow-passengers  two  bare- 
foot Franciscan  friars,  one  of  whom  stood  on  a  spot  for  four 
hours,  praying  devoutly  all  the  time;  upon  which  he  remarks: 
4  This  custom  of  praying  is  doubtless  well  pleasing  to  God,  it' 
1  it  proceed  from  a  true  and  faithful  veneration,  and  from  a 
4  pure  mind,  and  not  from  simulation  and  hypocrisy,  as  with 
4  the  Pharisees.  Prayer  avails  much,  as  we  know  from  the 
1  instance  of  Moses  when  his  people  was  rebellious,  as  well  as 
'  from  other  examples.  Paul  was  also  desirous  that  others 
4  should  pray  for  him.' 

On  the  1st  September  he  came  to  4  Rove  in  Picardy,  a 
c  miserable  town.  The  monks  are  fat  and  voluptuous,  and  an 
1  army  of  such  fellows  might  be  banished  without  loss  to  the 
4  state.  They  fill  their  bellies,  take  all  they  can  get,  and  give 
1  the  poor  nothing  but  fine  words  and  blessings ;  and  yet  they 
4  are  willing  to  take  from  the  poor  all  their  substance  for 
1  nothing.    What  is  the  good  of  barefoot  Franciscans?' 

On  the  3rd  of  September  he  arrived  in  Paris,  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  Hamburg  Hotel.  In  Paris  he  remained  for  a 
year  and  a  half,  during  the  last  four  months  of  173(>.  the  whole 
of  1737,  and  1738  to  the  12th  of  March.  This  was  Swedenborg\s 
second  visit  to  Paris;  in  1712-13  lie  had  spent  a  year  there. 

4  Ath  Sejit. — I  saw  the  city  around  the  Faubourg  St.  Gcr- 
1  main,  was  in  Notre  Dame,  the  garden  of  the  Luxembourg, 
4  and  at  the  theatre.  The  Parisians  carry  pleasure,  or  rather 
I  sensuality  to  its  highest  pitch. 

i  6th  Sept. — I  have  been  in  the  King's  palaces,  the  Tuileries 
1  and  the  Louvre,  where  I  admired  the  statues  of  great,  noble. 


SIGHT-SEEING  IN  PARIS. 


117 


4  and  renowned  men.  I  was  also  in  the  Hotel  Royal  des  In- 
4  valides,  which  is  a  miracle  of  architecture,  a  temple  of  beauty  ! 
4  In  the  way  I  saw  many  grand  houses. 

4  13th  Sept. — Was  at  the  Italian  Comedy. 

4  14th  Sept. — Have  been  to  the  Opera,  which  is  magnifi- 
4  cent ;  to  the  Chamber  of  Printers  and  Booksellers,  and  to 
4  the  Comedy. 

4  18th  Sept. — Was  in  the  Palace  and  its  garden,  in  the 
4  churches  of  the  Franciscans  and  Cistercians,  and  to  the 
4  Italian  Comedy.  I  had  some  controversy  with  an  Abbe 
4  about  the  worship  of  the  Saints.  He  utterly  denied  that 
4  they  were  worshipped,  contending  that  worship  was  solely 
4  rendered  to  God,  veneration  to  Saints,  and  double  veneration 
4  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

4  28th  Sept. — Was  at  the  Opera,  and  saw  excellent  acting 
4  and  dancing. 

4  2nd.  Oct. — I  have  removed  my  lodging  to  La  Rue 
1  d'Observatoire,  opposite  the  Cordeliers. 

4  3rd  Oct. — Was  at  the  Church  of  the  Cordeliers,  and  to 
4  their  Convent,  which  is  a  magnificent  house. 

4  10th  Oct. — It  is  reckoned  that  the  tax  called  the  tenths 
4  yields  annually  32,000,000,  and  that  the  Parisians  spend  two 
4  thirds  of  this  sum  over  their  own  city.  In  the  remote 
4  provinces  of  the  kingdom  the  impost  is  not  fairly  paid, 
4  because  the  people  make  false  returns.  .  One  fifth  of  the 
4  whole  of  France  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Church.  If  this  con- 
4  dition  of  things  lasts  long,  the  ruin  of  the  empire  is  certain. 

4  1 7th  Oct. — I  have  been  to  the  Opera  at  the  Palais  Royal, 
4  where  a  charming  piece  was  performed.  The  best  dancers 
4  are  Malter  and  Desmoulins.  Among  the  actresses  most 
4  praised  are  Madame  Breton  and  Madame  Mariette ;  among 
4  the  actors,  Fribaud  and  Fel ;  among  the  singers,  Pellecier 
4  and  Antier. 

4  I  was  also  at  the  Sorbonne,  hearing  a  theological  debate. 
4  Oct.  30th. —  I  was  at  the  Church  of  the  Theatins  at  Port 


118 


LIFE  IK  PARIS. 


4  Royal,  and  at  the  Church  of  the  Augustins  at  the  Tuilenes, 
4  where  Guillaumc,  preacher  to  the  King,  delivered  a  sermon 
1  like  an  actor  in  a  play,  in  a  most  artificial  manner. 

4  Nov.  3. — I  was  at  the  palace  where  the  Parliaments  arc 
4  held,  and  one  is  now  commencing  its  sittings.  In  the  large 
4  Hall  of  Assembly  is  a  very  beautiful  picture;  many  candles 
4  were  lit,  and  the  place  was  filled  with  most  exquisite  music. 
4  The  nobles  were  robed  in  purple.  The  bishop  presided  in  his 
4  sacred  garments. 

4  I  went  to  St.  Chapelle,  which  St.  Louis  built  in  124.">, 
4  now  open.  The  two  tables  of  the  altar  arc  painted  in  en- 
4  caustic,  one  representing  Christ  crucified,  and  the  other  His 
4  resurrection.  Around  are  many  smaller  pictures  of  great 
4  value.  Among  the  relics  shewn  is  a  fragment  of  the  cross, 
4  a  thorn  from  the  crown  of  thorns,  the  spear,  the  sponge, 
4  and  other  things  purchased  at  great  cost,  and  brought  from 
4  Constantinople. 

1  Jan.  1,  1737. — I-have  been  at  St.  Genevieve's.  Gene- 
4  vieve  is  the  patron  saint  of  Paris.' 

And  so  on,  day  after  day  was  passed  during  the  first 
months  of  this  Parisian  residence.  Swedenborg  was  plainly 
an  active  sight-seer,  with  an  omnivorous  curiosity.  His 
journal  contains  few  opinions,  and  is  little  more  than  a  catalogue 
of  sights.  Who  were  his  friends,  what  men  of  learning  he 
visited,  he  does  not  tell,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  visit 
to  St.  Genevieve  on  New  Year's-day,  to  St.  Denis  on  the 
23rd  of  January,  and  to  the  village  of  Poissy  on  the  30th  of 
July,  the  whole  of  1737,  and  1738  to  the  12th  March,  is,  in 
his  journal,  a  blank. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  lie  loft  Paris  for  Italy  by  way  of 
M&con  and  Lyons.  At  Lyons  he  spent  some  days  inspecting 
the  city  and  its  manufactories.  After  a  tedious  and  dangerous 
journey  across  the  Alps  he  reached  Turin,  through  whose 
streets  as  he  entered  passed  a  procession  of  monks  bearing 
lighted  candles. 


ITALIAN  TRAVELS. 


119 


1  4th  April. — I  was  at  the  Chapel  Royal  and  heard  sweet 
1  music  sung  by  eunuchs.    I  saw  the  King  and  Queen.' 

From  Turin  he  went  to  Milan,  and  on  the  way  his  guide 
proved  to  be  a  robber.  He  threatened  Swedenborg  with  his 
dagger,  who  managed  to  convince  him,  that  he  had  no  money, 
and  that  his  murder  would  be  a  profitless  crime. 

Having  viewed  Milan,  he  passed  on  to  Venice,  where  he 
remained  from  April  to  August.    We  read — 

1  9  th  August. — When  I  had  finished  my  work  I  went  again 
4  to  Pavia,  and  thence  to  Vicenza  and  Verona.' 

I  presume  this  refers  to  the  completion  of  his  work  on 
1  The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom.'' 

Mantua,  Ferrara,  Bologna,  Florence,  Pisa  and  Siena  were 
next  visited,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  25th  of  September 
Swedenborg  entered  Rome  by  the  Flaminian  way  and  through 
the  People's  Gate. 

In  Rome  he  remained  until  the  15th  of  February,  1739, 
or  four  and  a  half  months.  His  journal,  like  that  kept  in 
Paris,  consists  of  a  mere  list  of  the  sights  of  Rome,  with  here 
and  there  a  note  of  admiration  over  some  picture,  statue,  or 
palace.  His  lodging  was  near  the  house  where  Christina  of 
Sweden  abode  and  died,  and  he  records — 

1 30th  Jan. — I  was  where  lived  Christina,  Queen  of 
1  Sweden.  From  the  garden  is  seen  the  whole  city,  St. 
4  Peter's,  and  the  surrounding  country.' 

It  has  been  said,  that  Swedenborg  published  at  Rome  in 
1740  1  A  Dissertation  on  the  Nervous  Fibre  and  the  Nervous 
1  Fluid;1  but  of  the  work  no  trace  can  be  found.  It  is  likely 
some  blunder  has  been  made,  though,  as  Dr.  Wilkinson 
remarks,  the  title  bears  a  Swedenborgian  aspect. 

Swedenborg's  presence  in  Rome  set  the  Cardinals  thinking 
about  him  and  his  writings ;  and  the  result  was,  that  the 
'  Opera  Philosophica  et  Miner  alia1  was  honoured  with  a  place 
in  the  '  Index  FxpurgatoriuSj  in  1739. 

In  his  journal  Swedenborg  does  not  mention  the  Pope. 


120 


HOME,  FLORENCE,  i;EN<>A. 


It  is  likely  he  did  not  see  Clement  XII..  who  then  tilled  the 
papal  chair,  for  he  was  an  old  man,  worn  out  and  Mind.  He 
had  heen  elected  Pope  in  1730  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight, 
full  of  infirmities,  as  a  brief  respite  to  conflicting-  claims ;  but 
he  lived  to  rale  wisely  and  well  for  ten  years,  rather  longer 
than  intended,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Benedict  XIV. 
We  shall  hear  something  from  Swedenhorg  about  both  of 
these  Popes  anon. 

From  Rome  he  returned  to  Florence,  where  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  spending  two  hours  in  conversation  with  the  Grand 
Duke  and  Duchess,  then  he  went  to  Leghorn,  and  thence  to 
Genoa,  where  his  journal  conclude-  with  the-e  entries — 

k  17  lA  March.  17.°>9. — 1  have  come  to  Genoa,  which  has  an 
k  excellent  harbour,  superb  palaces,  and  a  senate-house  the 
4  most  splendid  imaginable,  in  which  is  a  picture  of  Christopher 
4  Columbus,  so  Hvingly  painted,  that  I  could  conceive  nothing 
4  more  perfect. 

1  I  saw  the  Doge  dressed  in  red  to  the  shoes,  and  the 

*  Nobles,  who  are  eight  hundred,  all  in  black  with  little  tippets. 
k  and  with  noses  and  faces  like  apes. 

1  I  was  in  a  most  pleasant  garden,  which  now  in  the  middle 
4  of  March  is  in  high  bloom,  oranges  and  citrons  are  ripening, 
4  olives  are  gathered  from  the  trees,  Pomona  is  bringing  her 

*  harvest.' 

After  this  date  we  are  without  record  of  Swedenbonr's 
goings.  In  1740-41  he  must  have  been  at  Amsterdam,  for 
there  he  printed  his  4  E<:onojay  of  the  Animal  Kingdom.'  In 
1740  he  was  likely  at  Leipsic,  for  there  appeared  ten  Latin 
verses  from  his  pen  celebrating  the  third  centenary  of  the  art 
of  printing.  It  is  probable  he  went  home  to  Stockholm  in 
1741.  for  we  know  he  returned  to  Holland  from  Sweden  in 
the  >ummer  of  1743,  and  at  the  Hague  published  Part-  I. 
and  TL  Of  ham*  Animal  Kingdom.'  In  1744  he  left  Holland 
for  Loudon,  where  in  174o  he  published  Part  III.  of  his 
4  Animal  Kiuylom'  and  his  •  Worship  and  Lon  >>r  QotL 


swedenborg's  work  when  abroad. 


121 


This  is  a  very  meagre  summary  of  seven  years,  but  there 
is  nothing  more  known  from  the  summer  of  1736  to  the 
summer  of  1743;  to  the  latter  date  we  shall  recur  by  and  bye. 
From  the  mass  of  writing  he  produced  in  these  years,  we  con- 
clude that  he  spent  his  time  in  the  study  of  the  works  of  the 
best  Anatomists,  attended  lectures,  and  got  into  dissecting 
rooms  whenever  he  had  an  opportunity.  In  his  1  Itinerary' 
he  makes  very  few  references  to  his  studies.  On  the  21st  of 
July,  1736,  he  notes  that  he  is  reading  and  making  extracts 
from  Wolf's  £  Cosmology^  and  '  Ontology.''  On  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, in  Paris,  we  find  him  meditating  a  treatise  to  prove 
that  1  The  Soul  of  Wisdom  lies  in  the  acknowledgment  and 
c  knowledge  of  the  Deity  ;'  and  on  the  next  day  a  second 
treatise,  setting  forth,  that  4  It  is  now  time  to  proceed  from  facts 
1  to  the  exploration  of  Nature.'  On  the  10th  and  11th  of 
September  he  states,  that  he  is  working  at  the  outlines  of  a  book, 
4  De  anni  generej  the  nature  of  which,  from  the  title,  it  is 
difficult  to  make  out;  literally  it  means, 1  On  the  Kind  or  Nature 
1  of  the  year]  and  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  work  on  the  settle- 
ment of  the  question  respecting  the  new  and  old  style  of  the 
Calendar.  At  this  time  he  was  still  pondering  on  the  subjects 
treated  in  his  1  Principiaf  for  on  the  4th  of  October,  recording 
a  visit  to  the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries,  he  adds,  4  my  walk  was 
1  exceedingly  pleasant  to-day ;  I  was  meditating  on  the  forms  of 
i  the  particles  of  the  atmospheres.'  With  the  notice  of  the  com- 
pletion of  his  work  at  Venice,  9th  August,  1738,  these  comprise 
all  the  references  to  his  literary  labours  in  his  4  Itinerary.'' 

There  is  an  anecdote  referring  to  this  time  in  Sweden- 
borg's life,  which  may  be  mentioned.  When  he  was  an  old 
man  General  Tuxen  asked  him,  Why  he  did  not  wed  with 
Emerentia  Polhem,  and  he  frankly  answered,  11  She  would 
u  not  have  me."  Tuxen  then  ventured  to  inquire,  Whether 
in  his  youth  he  had  been  indifferent  to  women  ?  Swedenborg 
replied,  u  Not  altogether.  In  my  youth  I  had  a  Mistress  in 
«  Italy." 


1  22 


THE  ITALIAN  MISTRESS* 


When  in  Italy  lie  was  fifty-two  years  old,  not  an  age 
usually  spoken  of  as  that  of  youth  ;  but  at  the  time  the  con- 
fession was  made  he  was  eighty,  and  looking  down  through 
thirty  long  years,  fifty  might  perhaps  appear  as  the  time  of 
youth. 

We  have  already  mentioned  a  similar  connection  spoken 
of  by  Robsahm,*  who  relates — 

L  It  is  well  known  that  Swedenborg  in  his  youth  had  a 
'  Mistress,  whom  he  left  because  she  was  false  to  him.  Besides 
4  this  there  cannot  be  found  in  his  life  any  trace  of  a  disorderly 
<  love.'t 

No  doubt  Robsahm  refers  to  his  life  in  Stockholm  and  not 
in  Italy.  It  may  have  been  that  Swedenborg  was  misunder- 
stood by  General  Tuxen,  and  that  1  Italy '  was  supplied  by 
his  imagination.  Yet  there  is  fair  cause  for  belief  in  both 
Mistresses.  The  confession  to  Tuxen  was  not  exhaustive,  and 
Robsahm  did  not  know  everything.  Moreover  the  Italian 
Mistress  is  more  credible  after  the  Stockholm  one,  even  as  the 
chances  of  marriage  are  greater  with  widowers  than  bachelors. 

Let  us  now  look  over  the  books  which  Swedenborg  has 
printed. 


*  M.  Robsahm,  Director  of  the  Bank  of  Stockholm,  became  intimate 
with  Swedenborg  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  and  after  his  death  published 
a  pamphlet,  consisting  of  a  number  of  interesting  particulars  descriptive  of 
Swedenborg's  life  and  conversation.  Robsahm's  anecdotes  have  been  often 
printed,  but  the  English  versions  are  usually  more  or  less  garbled.  1  shall 
often  cpuote  Robsahm  as  saying  this  or  that,  and  let  this  reference  to  him  as 
an  authority  suffice. 

f  See  Dr.  Tafel's  1  Sammlvng  von  Urkunden  betreffend  das  Lcbcn  und  den 
1  Character  Emm,  Swedenborg's.   Abtheilunr/  III..'  p.  20. 


(    123  ) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  ECONOMY  OF  THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM  * 


It  will  be  remembered,  that  Swedenborg  arrived  at  the 
conclusion,  that  the  Soul  was  an  immortal  machine  consisting 
of  the  inmost  and  subtilest  parts  of  the  Body.  In  order  that 
he  might  discover  the  Soul  in  its  fastnesses  he  resolved  to 
pierce  the  Body  from  the  outside,  membrane  by  membrane. 
This  resolve  he  recorded  in  1734,  and  in  1741,  after  seven  years 
of  search,  he  gave  the  world  the  results  in  two  volumes, 
entitled  i  The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom.1 

By  the  Animal  Kingdom  Swedenborg  did  not  refer  to  the 
Kingdom  of  Animals,  but  to  Man  only,  Man  being  the  sum- 
mary of  all  Animals :  as  he  remarks — 

1  Man  did  not  begin  to  exist  until  the  Kingdoms  of  Nature 
4  were  completed ;  and  then,  the  world  of  Nature  concentrated 
'  itself  in  him  at  his  creation.  Thus  in  Man,  the  microcosm, 
1  the  whole  Universe  may  be  contemplated  from  the  beginning 
'  to  the  end,  from  first  to  last.' 

Li  pursuit  of  the  Soul  through  the  Body  he  sets  before  us 
a  series  of  articles  on — 

1  The  Composition  and  Genuine  Essence  of  the  Blood. 


*'  CEconomia  Regni  Animalis  in  Transactiones  divisa:  quarum  Juec  prima 
'  de  Sanguine,  ejus  Arteriis,  Venis  et  Corde  agit :  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philo- 
'  sophice  perlustrata.  Cui  aceedit  Introduetio  ad  Psychologiam  Rationalem. 
'  Amstelodami,  Apud  Franciscvm  Changuion,  1741. 

*  CEconomia  Begni  Animalis  in  Transactiones  divisa:  quarum  hcee  secunda 
1  de  Cerebri  Motu  et  Cortice  ct  de  Anima  Humana  agit :  Anatomice,  Physice 
'  et  PhilosopJdce perlustrata.    Anibtclodami,  Franciscum  Changuion,  1741.' 


124 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  WORK. 


1  The  Arteries  and  Veins,  their  Tunics  and  the  Circulation 
1  of  the  Blood. 

1  On  the  formation  of  the  Chick  in  the  Egg  j  and  on  the 
L  Arteries,  Veins  and  Rudiments  of  the  Heart. 

1  On  the  Circulation  of  the  Blood  in  the  Foetus ;  and  on 
4  the  Foramen  Ovale  and  Ductus  Arteriosus  belonging  to  the 
1  Heart  in  Embryos  and  Infants. 

<  The  Heart  of  the  Turtle. 

'  The  peculiar  Arteries  and  Veins  of  the  Heart,  and  the 
1  Coronary  Vessels. 

'  The  Motion  of  the  Adult  Heart. 

c  The  Motion  of  the  Brain ;  shewing  that  its  Animation  is 
1  co-incident  with  the  Respiration  of  the  Lungs. 

1  The  Cortical  Substance  of  the  Brain.' 

These  articles  are  composed  of  a  series  of  extracts  com- 
prising the  observations  of  the  best  Anatomists,  followed  by 
Swcdenborg's  own  comments  and  inductions. 

This  method  of  procedure  has  led  some  cursory  readers 
of  1  The  Animal  Kingdom^  to  conclude,  that  Swcdenborg's 
knowledge  was  derived  solely  from  anatomical  books  and 
drawings,  and  not  from  actual  dissection  of  the  Human  Body. 
He  leaves  us  however  in  no  doubt,  that  he  frequented  the 
dissecting-room,  but  whether  in  Holland,  Paris,  or  Venice  he 
does  not  say :  probably  wherever  in  his  travels  there  was 
an  anatomical  school  he  found  means  of  entrance  to  it.  His 
reasons  for  making  these  careful  digests  of  the  observations  of 
others  we  quote  at  length,  as  they  supply  at  the  same  time  an 
accurate  estimate  of  his  own  speculative  genius. 

c  In  the  experimental  knowledge  of  Anatomy  our  way  has 
1  been  pointed  out  by  men  of  the  greatest  and  most  cultivated 
1  talents,  such  as,  Eustachius,  Malpighi,  Ruysch,  Leeuwenhoek, 
i  Harvey,  Morgagni,  Vieussens,  Lancisi,  Winslow,  Ridley, 
k  Boerhaave,  Wepfer,  Heister,  Steno,  Valsalva,  Duverney, 
1  Nuck,  Bartholin,  Bidloo,  and  Verhcven,  whose  discoveries, 
4  far  from  consisting  of  fallacious,  vague,  and  empty  specu- 


swedexborg's  method. 


125 


*  lations,  will  for  ever  continue  to  be  of  practical  use  to 
'  posterity. 

1  Assisted  by  the  studies  and  elaborate  writings  of  these 
£  illustrious  men,  and  fortified  by  their  authority,  I  have  re- 
4  solved  to  commence  and  complete  my  design  ;  that  is  to  say, 
4  to  open  some  part  of  those  things,  which  it  is  generally  supposed 
1  Nature  has  involved  in  obscurity.  Here  and  there  I  have 
4  taken  the  liberty  of  throwing  in  the  results  of  my  own 
1  experience ;  but  this  only  sparingly,  for  on  deeply  considering 
4  the  matter,  I  deemed  it  better  to  make  use  of  the  facts  sup- 
4  plied  by  others.  Indeed  there  are  some  that  seem  born  for 
4  experimental  observation,  and  endowed  with  a  sharper  insight 
4  than  others,  as  if  they  possessed  naturally  a  finer  acumen ; 
1  such  are  Eustachius,  Kuysch,  Leeuwenhoek,  Lancisi,  &c. 
4  There  are  others  again  who  enjoy  a  natural  faculty  for 
1  contemplating  facts  already  discovered,  and  eliciting  their 
f  causes.  Both  are  peculiar  gifts  and  are  seldom  united  in  the 
!  same  person.  Besides  I  found  when  intently  occupied  in 
1  exploriug  the  secrets  of  the  Human  Body,  that  as  soon  as  I 
1  discovered  anything  that  had  not  been  observed  before,  I 
1  began  (seduced  probably  by  self-love)  to  grow  blind  to  the 
4  most  acute  lucubrations  and  researches  of  others,  and  to 
'  originate  a  whole  series  of  inductive  arguments  from  my 
4  particular  discovery  alone  ;  and  consequently  to  be  incapaci- 
4  tated  to  view  and  comprehend,  as  accurately  as  the  subject 

*  required,  the  idea  of  imiversals  in  individuals,  and  of  indi- 
4  viduals  under  imiversals.  ^ay,  when  I  essayed  to  form 
4  principles  from  these  discoveries,  I  thought  I  could  detect  in 
4  various  other  phenomena  much  to  confirm  their  truth,  although 
4  in  reality  they  were  fairly  susceptible  of  no  construction  of 
4  the  kind.  I  therefore  laid  aside  my  instruments  and  restrain- 
4  ing  my  desire  for  making  observations,  determined  rather  to 
'  rely  on  the  researches  of  others  than  to  trust  to  my  own/* 


*  Introduction  to  '  The  Economy,'-  Nos.  17  and  18. 


126 


DANGER  OP  SPECULATION. 


That  he  was  not  insensible  to  the  dangers,  which  beset  one 
4  ivho  enjoys  a  natural  faculty  for  contemplating  facts  already 
4  discovered ',  and  eliciting  their  causes,  take  this — 

4  To  a  knowledge  of  the  causes  of  things  nothing  but 
4  experience  can  guide  us ;  for  when  the  mind,  with  all  the 
4  speculative  force  which  belongs  to  it,  is  left  to  rove  abroad 
4  without  this  guide,  how  prone  it  is  to  fall  into  error,  vea  into 
4  errors  and  errors  of  errors !  How  futile  it  is  after  this,  or  at 
4  any  rate  how  precarious,  to  seek  confirmation  and  support 
4  from  experience  !  We  are  not  to  deduce  experience  from 
4  assumed  principles,  but  to  deduce  principles  themselves  from 
4  experience  ;  for  in  truth  we  are  surrounded  with  illusive  and 
4  fallacious  lights,  and  are  the  more  likely  to  fall  because  our 
4  very  darkness  thus  counterfeits  the  day.  When  we  are 
4  earned  away  by  ratiocination  alone,  we  are  somewhat  like 
4  blindfolded  children  in  their  play,  who,  though  they  imagine, 
4  that  they  are  walking  straight  forward,  yet  when  their  eyes 
4  are  unbound,  plainly  perceive  that  they  have  been  following 
4  some  roundabout  path,  which,  if  pursued,  must  have  led  them 
4  to  the  place  the  very  opposite  to  the  one  intended.* 

Indeed  Swedenborg's  mind  was  essentially  constructive  ; 
whenever  it  was  plunged  in  a  solution  of  facts  crystallization 
at  once  ensued ;  by  nature  he  was  an  architect  and  no  brick- 
maker.  His  commentaries  on  the  facts  of  the  Anatomists 
manifest  in  every  page  the  creative  spirit  which  transforms 
the  inorganic  to  the  organic.  He  was,  of  course,  limited  by 
his  materials,  as  is  the  life  of  a  plant  by  the  conditions  of 
soil  and  climate  in  which  it  is  set;  therefore  where  the 
Anatomists  were  wrong  or  imperfect  his  doctrine  grew  crooked, 
gnarled  and  weak.  Many  too  and  serious  were  the  faults  on 
his  side ;  he  had  the  plan  of  a  palace  into  which  the  bricks  of 
the  Anatomists  were  to  be  built ;  and  when  their  bricks  were 
unequal  to  his  scheme  the  invention  which  contrived  the 


*  Introduction.  No.  11. 


SERIES  AND  DEGREES. 


127 


Universe  of  '  The  PrincipiaJ  was  seldom  at  a  loss  to  evolve 
whatever  was  thought  lacking  from  the  intuitions  of  his  Soul. 

His  commentaries  on  the  Anatomists  culminate  in  an 
article  entitled — 

1  An  Introduction  to  Eational  Psychology,' 
and  a  considerable  treatise  on  the  object  of  his  quest — 
'  The  Human  Soul.' 

The  c  Introduction  to  Rational  Psychology'  sets  forth  a 
doctrine  of  Series,  Order,  and  Degrees.  In  1  The  Principle? 
he  taught  us,  that  Nature  or  Creation  commenced  in  a  Sun  of 
Points,  which  by  a  series  of  condensations  and  coacervations 
thickened  into  Earth.  Unless  we  see  and  clearly  recognize 
these  gradations,  he  tells  us,  we  shall  wearily  and  hopelessly 
seek  after  any  knowledge  of  the  Soul ;  for  an  ordination  and 
co-ordination  of  Causes  and  Effects,  of  Actives  and  Passives 
pervade  the  Universe  from  its  inside  to  its  outside,  and 
4  consequently  the  Science  of  Nature  depends  on  a  distinct 
c  notion  of  Series  and  Degrees,  and  of  their  order,  relation, 
1  and  subordination. 

1  The  more  any  one  is  perfected  in  judgement  the  more 
£  clearly  does  he  perceive,  that  there  is  an  Order  in  things,  that 
1  there  are  Degrees  of  Order,  and,  that  it  is  by  these  alone  he 
1  can  progress  from  the  lowest  sphere  to  the  highest,  or  from 
'  the  outermost  to  the  innermost. 

1  As  Nature  betakes  herself  upward  from  visible  phenomena, 
1  or  in  other  words  withdraws  herself  inwards,  she  instantly, 
1  as  it  were,  disappears,  while  no  one  knows  what  has  become 
c  of  her,  or  whither  she  has  gone,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  take 
1  Science  as  our  guide  in  pursuing  her  steps. 

c  The  Science  which  does  this  I  call  the  Doctrine  of  Series 
4  or  Degrees,  or  the  Doctrine  of  Order.* 


*  Part  II.,  No.  210. 


128 


A  MAP  OF  THE  UNIVERSE. 


Creation  lie  divides  into  Six  Series  ranged  under  two  heads, 
three  superior  and  three  interior,  thus — 

The  superior  or  circumambient  World  comprising — 

1.  The  First  Substance  consisting  of  Points  of  Force  or 
Motion. 

2.  First  Finites  formed  from  the  coacervation  of  free 
gyrating  Points.  First  Finites  compose  the  Fire  of  the  Sun 
and  the  Fire  of  all  combustion. 

3.  The  four  Auras — Air,  Ether,  Magnetism,  and  an  Ele- 
ment subtler  and  within  Magnetism  for  which  he  gives  no 
name  save  Second  Finites  or  the  First  Element,  which  occupies 
the  spaces  between  Suns  and  Earths. 

Produced  from  the  superior  is  the  inferior  World,  coin- 
prising — 

1.  The  Mineral  Kingdom,  the  parent  of  vegetables  and 
animals. 

2.  The  Vegetable  Kingdom  deriving  its  existence  from 
the  Mineral,  in  which  also,  as  in  a  matrix  or  womb,  it  deposits 
its  seed  as  often  as  it  proceeds  to  renew  its  birth. 

3.  The  Animal  Kingdom  demanding  for  its  existence  and 
subsistence  the  service  of  the  whole  preceding  Creation.  1  The 
4  last  of  the  Series  in  the  Animal  Kingdom  is  Man,  the  most 
'  perfect  Animal  and  the  complement  of  all  things,  the  micro- 
4  cosm  of  the  macrocosm. 

1  In  these  Six  Series,'  says  he,  '  Nature  seems  to  have 
4  rested,  for  there  is  no  seventh.'* 

From  all  this  it  is  plain,  that  Swedenborg  during  the 
seven  years,  which  had  elapsed,  had  been  labouring  within  the 
imaginary  fence  he  had  thrown  round  the  Universe  in  his 
treatises,  4  The  Principia''  and  1  The  Infinite."  His  field  he 
had  not  enlarged,  but  in  it  he  had  diligently  digged  and 
thickly  planted,  keeping  a  con-taut  eye  on  the  methods  of 
culture  favoured  by  Philosopher  Wolf. 


SERIES  AND  SERIES  OF  SERIES. 


129 


The  Six  Series,  into  which  he  divides  Creation,  are  again 
4  divisible  into  series,  and  series  of  series.  There  is  nothing 
1  which  is  not  a  series  in  a  series.  Mere  series,  and  series  of 
4  series  constitute  Arithmetic,  Geometry,  Physics,  Physiology, 
4  yea,  all  Philosophy.  By  series  it  is  that  we  speak,  reason, 
4  and  act.  Our  sensations  too  are  series  of  varieties,  more 
1  or  less  harmonious,  whence  result  agreement,  imagery,  idea 
4  and  reason.  Where  all  is  equality,  or  where  there  is  no 
4  series,  Xature  perishes.' 

From  this  law  of  series  he  excepts  only  Xo.  1,  the  First 
Substance  consisting  of  Points  of  Force  or  Motion.  4  The 
4  First  Substance  of  the  World  is  the  only  one  which  does  not 
4  fall  under  the  notice  of  the  understanding  as  some  kind  of 
4  series. ' 

Creation  was  thus  to  Swedenborg  a  circular  process. 
From  the  First  Substance  was  derived  the  Sim,  from  the  Sim 
the  Auras,  from  the  Auras  Water,  from  Water  Minerals,  from 
Minerals  Vegetables,  from  Vegetables  Animals,  from  Animals 
Man,  whose  Soul  reascends  and  touches  the  First  Substance 
of  the  World,  to  which  it  stands  subordinate  and  one  with  the 
Sim's  fire.    The  ring,  we  see,  was  complete. 

Bearing  this  notion  in  mind  enables  us  to  appreciate  such 
passages  as  these — 

4  Whereas  the  Soul  has  her  residence  in  a  place  so  sublime 
4  and  eminent,  that  we  cannot  ascend  to  her  except  by  a 
4  particular  and  general  investigation  of  the  lower  things  of 
4  her  Kingdom,  or  whereas  she  lives  so  far  within,  that  she 
4  cannot  be  exposed  to  view  imtil  the  coverings  under  which 
4  she  is  hidden  are  unfolded  and  removed  in  order ;  it  hence 
4  becomes  necessary,  that  we  ascend  to  her  by  the  same  steps 
4  or  degrees,  and  the  same  ladder  by  which  her  nature  descends 
4  in  the  formation  of  her  body.'  * 

In  order  to  speak  of  the  Soul,  and  the  unseen  things  of 


*  Part  I.,  No.  579. 

K 


130 


L-M'KK's  QOUBm  KSSAY  QUOOB. 


Nature  he  felt  the  need  of  what  he  calk  *  A  Mathematical 
4  Philosophy  of  Universal*. ?    He  writes — 

1  The  Doctrine  of  Series  and  Degrees  only  teaches  the 
1  distinction  and  relation  between  things  superior  and  inferior, 
i  or  prior  and  posterior ;  it  is  unable  to  express  by  any 
4  adequate  terms  of  its  own,  those  things  which  transcend 
4  the  sphere  of  familiar  things.  If  therefore  we  would  ascend 
4  to  a  higher  altitude,  we  must  use  terms  which  are  still  more 
4  abstract,  universal  and  eminent,  lest  our  corporeal  Senses 
■  confound  things  of  which  we  ought  not  only  to  have  distinct 
1  perceptions,  but  which,  in  reality,  are  distinct. 

4  Hence  it  is  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  a  Mathematical 
4  Philosophy  of  Universale,  by  which  we  shall  be  enabled  not 
4  only  to  signify  higher  ideas  by  letters,  but  also  to  reduce 
4  them  to  a  certain  philosophical  calculus  

4  That  such  a  Science  of  Sciences  may  be  found  many  of 
4  the  learned  have  already  suspected — nay,  they  have  beheld 
4  it  as  afar  off.  The  illustrious  Locke,  in  his  golden  4  Essay 
4  4  concfrninrj  the  Iluman  U*der&a*di*gf  near  the  close  of  the 
4  work,  after  his  profound  investigation  of  the  powers  of  the 
4  mind,  discovers  at  last,  as  if  by  divination,  that  there  is  yet 
4  another  and  profounder  Science.  4  Perhaps,'  says  he,  4  if 
4  4  Ideas  and  Words  were  distinctly  weighed  and  duly  con- 
4  4  sidered,  they  would  afford  us  another  sort  of  logic  and 
4  1  critic,  than  what  we  have  hitherto  been  acquainted  with.'  * 
4  In  another  place  he  observes,  4  The  Ideas,  that  Ethics  arc 
4  4  conversant  about,  being  all  real  Essences,  and  such  as  I 
4  4  imagine  have  a  discoverable  connection  and  agreement  one 
4  4  with  another ;  so  far  as  we  can  find  their  habitudes  and 
4  4  relations,  so  far  we  shall  be  possessed  of  certain  real  and 
4  4  general  truths ;  and  I  doubt  not,  but  if  a  right  method 
4  4  were  taken,  a  great  part  of  Morality  might  be  made  out 
4  4  with  that  clearness,  that  could  leave,  to  a  considering  man. 


■  Book  IV,  rihap  w\  .  sec.  4. 


THE  SOUL  MUST  BE  DISCOVERED. 


131 


' 1  no  more  reason  to  doubt,  than  he  could  have  to  doubt  of 
4  1  the  truth  of  propositions  in  Mathematics,  which  have  been 
1 1  demonstrated  to  him.'  '* 

Supposing  a  Mathematical  Philosophy  of  Universals  at- 
tained, yet  says  Swedenborg,  1  I  am  strongly  persuaded,  that 
4  the  essence  and  nature  of  the  Soul,  its  influx  into  the  Body, 
'  and  the  reciprocal  action  of  the  Body,  can  never  come  to 
4  demonstration  unless  with  these  doctrines  is  combined  a 
4  knowledge  of  Anatomy,  Pathology,  and  Psychology,  yea 
'  even  of  Physics,  and  especially  of  the  Auras  of  the  World : 
4  and  that  unless  our  labours  mount  from  Experience,  we  shall 
4  in  every  new  age  have  to  build  new  systems,  which  in  their 
4  turn  will  tumble  to  the  ground,  without  the  possibility  of 
4  being  rebuilt. 

4  This,  and  no  other,  is  the  reason,  that  with  diligent  study 
4  and  intense  application,  I  have  investigated  the  Anatomy  of 
4  the  Body  in  all  its  parts.  In  doing  this,  I  may  perhaps  have 
4  gone  beyond  the  ordinary  limits  of  enquiry,  so  that  but  few 
c  of  my  readers  may  be  able  distinctly  to  understand  me.  Thus 
4  far  however  I  have  felt  bound  to  venture,  for  I  have  resolved, 
1  cost  what  it  may,  to  trace  out  the  nature  of  the  Human 
4  Soul.'f 

The  reader,  tired  with  these  preliminaries,  may  impatiently 
ask,  44  What  conclusions  did  Swedenborg  come  to  concerning 
u  the  Soul  ?  Did  he  uncover  it  ?  Did  he  find  it,  or  imagine 
44  that  he  had  laid  hold  of  it  in  any  way  ?  Let  me  know,  in  a 
44  few  words,  the  nett  result  of  his  research  pursued  through 
44  these  two  big  volumes !" 

Need  I  say,  that  Swedenborg  cut  up  the  Body,  but  did  not 
cut  into  the  Soul ? 

Seven  years  before,  he  had  settled  what  the  Soul  was; 
he  had  pronounced  it  '  the  last  and  subtilest  part  of  the 
Body.' 


*  Book  IV.,  chap.  xii..  sec.  ft.  f  Part  II.,  Nos.  213,  214. 

K  2 


132 


THE  SOUL  IN  THE  ANIMAL  SPIRITS. 


lie  came  therefore  to  Anatomy,  not  for  instruction,  but 
for  confirmation.  The  Soul  was  the  inmost  of  the  Body  ;  and 
he  enquired  of  Anatomy,  what  the  inmost  of  the  Body  was. 

The  Anatomists  he  consulted  held  a  notion  which  fitted 
Swedcnborg's  to  a  nicety ;  from  the  greatest  to  the  least  they 
all  believed  in  Animal  Spirits,  or  a  Spirituous  Fluid.  He 
writes — 

'  The  learned  in  general  and  the  Anatomists  in  particular 
1  describe  the  Animal  Spirits  as  running  through  the  finest 
'  threads  of  the  Nerves,  as  calling  out  the  force  of  the  Muscles, 
'  as  being  sublimated  from  the  Blood,  and  as  having  their 
'  birth  in  the  Brain,  which  they  term  the  mart  and  emporium 
4  of  the  Animal  Spirits.'* 

The  fact  is,  that  this  doctrine  of  a  Xerve  Spirit  has  never 
ceased  to  be  orthodox  until  our  own  day.  All  the  old  masters 
in  Anatomy  were  its  adherents.  They  never  saw  the  Spirit, 
but  as  Ilaller  observed,  '  that  only  proves  the  weakness  of  our 
4  Senses,  but  has  no  validity  against  the  existence  of  a  Juice 
1  or  Spirit  in  the  Nerves.' 

And  Swedcnborg  seconds  Ilaller,  saying — 

{  The  red  Blood  is  divisible  into  a  purer  Blood  and  into  a 
'  purest,  which  we  call  the  Spirituous  Fluid.  The  Spirituous 
1  Fluid  cannot  be  seen  even  with  the  aid  of  the  microscope ; 
4  but  we  ought  not  therefore  to  deny  the  fact.  Our  Senses 
1  lead  us  only  to  the  threshold  where  Nature  begins  to  act 
4  most  perfectly  and  live  most  distinctly.  It  lias  pleased  the 
4  Divine  Being  to  give  us  Reason  to  follow  up  the  thread 
4  where  the  Senses  fail.  Were  we  therefore  to  terminate  our 
4  researches  by  the  limits  of  our  sight,  we  should  deprive 
*  Reason  of  its  privileges,  and  hence  be  little  wiser  than  the 
4  beasts.'  f 

The  wisest  among  old  Anatomists  knew,  that  it  was  vain 
to  seek  the  Animal  Spirits  in  the  corpse.     The  difference 


■  Part  II..  No.  246. 


f  Tart  II.,  No.  122. 


THE  ANIMAL  SPIRITS  AND  THE  BLOOD. 


133 


between  a  live  Body  and  a  dead  one  was,  in  their  eyes,  the 
difference  between  the  presence  and  the  absence  of  Animal 
Spirits.  They  knew  that  a  corpse  was  not  a  Man,  but  only 
a  vesture  from  which  the  Man  had  fled ;  that  which  had  fled 
they  called  Animal  Spirits.  Some  of  them  said  the  Animal 
Spirits  were  the  Soul,  some  said  they  were  only  the  Body  of 
the  Soul,  and  some  gave  other  definitions  of  their  being  and 
functions  ;  but  all  united  in  the  confession  of  their  existence. 

These  Animal  Spirits  were  precisely  what  Swedenborg 
wanted  for  the  perfection  of  his  theory.  So  essential  were 
they  to  him  that  he  says — 

4  With  those  who  deny  the  existence  of  an  Animal  Spirit, 
4  as  denying  First  Principles,  I  hold  no  disputation.  Their 
4  minds,  sunk  in  unwisdom,  are  entirely  confined  to  their  eyes, 
*  and  all  causes  with  them  are  confused  in  effects.'  * 

His  doctrine  of  the  Soul  then  found  its  Body  in  the 
Animal  Spirits  of  the  Anatomists. 

In  the  pursuit  of  his  argument  he  limits  his  attention  to 
the  Blood.  4  Whatever  exists  in  the  Body,'  he  says,  4pre- 
4  exists  in  the  Blood.'  The  bones,  the  flesh,  the  skin  are  no 
4  more  than  concrete  Blood. 

4  The  Blood  is  the  complex  of  all  things,  that  exist  in  the 
4  World,  and  the  store-house  and  seminary  of  all,  that  exist 
4  in  the  Body.  The  Blood  contains  salts  of  every  kind,  both 
4  fixed  and  volatile,  and  oils,  spirits  and  aqueous  elements ;  in 
4  fine,  whatever  is  created  and  produced  by  the  Three  King- 
4  doms  of  the  World,  the  Animal,  the  Vegetable,  and  the 
4  Mineral.  Moreover  the  Blood  imbibes  the  treasures,  that 
4  the  Atmosphere  carries  in  its  bosom,  and  to  this  end  exposes 
4  itself  to  the  air  through  the  medium  of  the  lungs. 

4  Since  the  Blood  then  is  an  epitome  of  the  riches  of  the 
4  whole  World  and  all  its  Kingdoms,  it  would  appear  as  if  all 


*  Part  II.,  No.  165. 


134 


ALL  THINGS  MAY  BE  POUND  IN  BLOOD. 


L  things  were  created  for  the  purpose  of  administering  to  the 
4  composition  and  continued  renewal  of  the  Blood.  For  if  all 
'  things  exist  for  the  sake  of  Man,  and  with  a  view  to  afford 
4  him  the  conditions  and  the  means  of  living,  then  all  things 
4  exist  for  the  sake  of  the  Blood,  which  is  the  parent  and 
4  nourisher  of  every  part  of  Ins  Body ;  for  nothing  exists  in 
4  the  Body  which  has  not  previously  existed  in  the  Blood  

1  From  these  remarks  we  may  readily  perceive  how  many 
4  Sciences  are  included  in  the  Science  of  the  Blood :  namely, 
4  the  whole  circle  of  Anatomy,  Medicine,  Chemistry,  and 
4  Physics,  and  even  of  Psychology  ;  for  the  passions  of  the 
4  Mind  vary  according  to  the  states  of  the  Blood,  and  the  states 
4  of  the  Blood  according  to  the  passions  of  the  Mind.  In  a 
4  word,  the  Science  of  the  Blood  includes  all  the  Sciences 
4  which  treat  of  the  substances  of  the  World,  and  of  the 
4  forces  of  Nature.  For  this  reason  we  find,  that  Man  did 
4  not  begin  to  exist  till  the  Kingdoms  of  Nature  were  com- 
4  pleted,  and,  that  the  World  and  Nature  then  concentrated 
4  themselves  in  Man  ;  in  order  that  in  the  Human  Microcosm 
4  the  whole  Universe  might  from  first  to  last  be  exhibited  for 
4  contemplation. 1  * 

Holding  these  opinions,  he  reasonably  narrows  and  simpli- 
fies discussion  by  confining  attention  to  the  Blood.  Since  the 
Body  is  made  out  of  the  Blood,  to  understand  the  Blood  is  at 
the  same  time  to  understand  the  Body ;  skin,  flesh,  and  bones 
are  therefore  put  aside. 

In  the  L  Prineipia  he  told  us,  that  a  Water-globule  was  the 
ultimate  and  the  first  material  out-come  of  the  inner  force  of 
Nature.  For  like  reasons  he  now  tells  us  the  same  concerning 
a  Bed  Blood-globule. 

4  There  is  not  in  the  whole  compass  of  Nature  a  single 
4  compound  entity  more  simple  and  perfect  than  a  globule  of 
4  Blood.    Blood  comprehends  in  every  one  of  its  spherules, 

*  Part  I.,  Nos.  3,  4.  and  7 


THE  THREE  BLOODS. 


135 


4  mere  First  Principles,  Elements,  and  Simples.  Consequently 
c  it  possesses  potentially  and  virtually  every  single  thing  in  the 
1  Mundane  System  which  is  producible  from  First  Principles, 

1  Elements,  or  Simples  Hence  the  infinite  variety 

1  of  liquids  and  solids  in  the  Animal  Kingdom,  which  proceed 
1  from  one  only  fountain,  which  is  the  Blood.'* 

The  Ked  Blood-globule,  following  Leeuwenhoek,  he  says, 
is  composed  of  six  globules  of  White  Blood.  These  six 
globules  of  White  Blood  are  again  divisible  into  smaller 
globules,  and  these  again  into  smaller  still,  which  the  eye  with 
every  help  cannot  follow.  These  globules,  consisting  of  pellucid 
spheres,  compose  the  purer  or  middle  Blood,  inside  which  abide 
the  Animal  Spirits.    He  thus  gives  us  three  orders  of  Blood — 

I.  The  Animal  Spirits,  which  he  identifies  with  the  first 
Aura  of  Creation. 

II.  The  White  Blood,  which  he  identifies  with  the  Element 
of  Ether. 

III.  The  Red  Blood. 

The  cohesion  of  the  six  globules  which  make  up  the  Red 
Blood-globule  he  accounts  for  by  giving  them  a  base  in 
a  particle  of  common  Salt.  Every  Red  Blood-globule  has  a 
centre  in  a  cube  of  Salt,  whose  six  sides  are  hollowed  out  for 
the  reception  of  the  six  smaller  globules,  and  into  the  eight 
angles  found  at  their  circumference  he  inserts  six  trigons  of 
Salt  with  curved  sides.  In  this  way  he  explains  the  existence 
of  the  firm  and  compact  Red  Blood-globule. 

The  Red  Blood-globules  float  in  Serum,  and  from  out  the 
Serum  the  cubes  and  trigons  of  Salt  are  taken,  which  are 
required  for  the  composition  of  the  Red  Blood-globules. 

'  The  Serum  is  as  it  were  the  atmosphere  in  which  the 
i  Blood  floats,  and  from  which  it  derives  its  elements ;  where- 
1  fore  such  as  the  Serum  is,  such  is  the  Blood  arising  from  it, 
'  and  such  as  is  the  Blood  such  is  the  Serum. 


*  Part  I.,  No.  115 


136 


THE  GREAT  SALT  DOCTRINE. 


4  In  the  Scrum  arc  Spirits,  Oils,  and  Salts  of  every  kind 
4  derived  from  the  Stomach  through  the  medium  of  the  Chyle, 
4  and  in  Water  as  a  vehicle.  In  the  various  kinds  of  food  we 
4  eat  and  drink  arc  contained  the  three  well-known  principles. 
1  namely  Spirit  or  Oil,  Salt  and  Earth,  and  Water  or  Phlegm, 
4  each  of  which  may  be  disengaged  by  a  moderate  chemical 
4  heat.  This  is  effected  in  the  Stomach,  that  beautifully  coated 
4  chemical  bladder  and  retort  of  animal  nature.'  * 

It  may  be  well  to  pause  here  for  a  little,  and  in  a  few 
words  set  forth  Swedenborg's  doctrine  of  Salt. 

In  his  4  Prineipia  '  he  told  us,  that  the  Mineral  World 
originated  in  Salt  formed  between  the  interstices  of  Water- 
globules  ;  Water,  in  his  idea  of  Creation,  following  Air  and 
preceding  Earth.  4  Experience,'  says  he,  4  informs  us,  that 
4  the  particles  of  Sea-Salt  have  their  birth  in  the  Water,  or 
4  between  the  particles  of  the  Water.' 

A  particle  of  Salt  shaped  in  the  interstices  of  Water- 
globules  is  a  cube  with  six  sides  and  eight  angles,  and  each 
side  with  a  concavity  answering  to  the  convexity  of  the 
Water-globules  surrounding  it. 

When  the  eight  angles  of  a  cube,  of  Salt  arc  broken  off 
there  result  eight  pyramids,  each  with  four  solid  angles  and 
three  concave  sides. 

From  these  pyramids  of  Salt,  variously  modified,  are 
derived  4  every  kind  of  Acid  and  Alkali.' 

If  these  pyramids  of  Salt  are  still  further  comminuted, 
4  we  then  have  quadrangular  and  triangular  solids  of  a  shape 
1  similar  to  the  particles  of  common  Salt  and  Acids,  only 
4  smaller,  and  forming  the  class  of  volatile  aerial  Salts.'' 

4  From  them  Oils  are  produced  and  conglomerated.  These 
4  Salts  constitute  the  superficies  of  Oil-globules,  the  Ether 
4  occupying  the  inside  of  each  Oil-globule. 


•  I'.u-t  I..  No*  48  and  i.1- 


THE  OMNIPRESENCE  OF  SALT. 


137 


4  If  again  the  particles  of  these  volatile  aerial  Salts  be 
4  divided  into  parts  still  more  minute,  there  arise  the  most 
4  volatile  ethereal  Salts. 

4  From  them  Spirits  are  produced  and  conglomerated. 
4  Spirits  are  therefore  as  it  were  most  highly  rectified  Oils.' 

4  The  particles  of  Oils  and  Spirits  are  of  the  same  dimension 
4  and  diameter  with  those  of  Water,  for  they  are  composed  of 
4  the  primitive  elements  of  common  Salts,  whence  they  derive 
'  forms  having  a  like  magnitude  with  that  of  the  particles  of 
4  Water.  Moreover,  common  Salt  is  the  measure  and  type 
4  of  the  particles  of  all  liquid  substances ;  and  when  these 
4  particles  are  fitted  to  the  hollow  sides  of  Salts,  and  are  as  it 
4  were  poured  into  them,  there  arises  a  convexity  in  the  liquid 
4  particle  corresponding  to  the  concavity  of  the  saline. 

4  Hence  the  reader  may  perceive  that  Salts  are  divisible 
4  into  three  generations,  degrees,  or  orders,  and  that  the 
4  saline  particles,  of  whatever  order,  are  all  similarly  cubical  or 
4  pyramidal,  that  they  are  all  hard  or  inert  corpuscles,  never 
4  movable  one  among  the  other  without  the  aid  of  Waters  or 
4  Airs,  that  they  are  of  themselves  fixed,  and  impart  fixity  to 
4  other  things,  that  they  are  neither  expansile  nor  elastic, 
4  and  that  they  temper  in  different  manners  the  fluidity  of 
4  active  substances. 

4  From  these  considerations  it  is  clear,  that  by  help  of  a 
4  perfect  Chemistry,  such  as  that  which  is  exercised  by  Nature, 
4  and  which  consists  in  being  able  out  of  anything  to  produce 
4  anything,  we  may  out  of  one  compounded  Salt,  or  a  quantity 
4  of  primitive  Salts,  by  help  of  distillation,  sublimation,  rectifi- 
4  cation,  circulation,  filtration,  commixtion,  digestion,  precipi- 
4  tation,  or  crystallization,  educe  any  substance  or  menstruum 
4  we  please. 

4  Such  then  are  the  principles  of  Salts,  Acids,  Oils,  and 
4  Spirits,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  deduce  them  from  the 
4  experimental  Sciences.  This  doctrine  of  Salts  however,  con- 
4  sidering,  that  it  is  of  such  exalted  utility,  and  that  it  requires 


138 


THE  BLOODS  AND  THEIR  ORGANS. 


4  for  its  full  dcvelopemcnt  such  immense  research,  demands  u 
4  still  further  portion  of  time  and  study  to  be  duly  understood  ; 
1  indeed  it  is  a  subject  which  merits  a  separate  treatise.'  * 

From  these  notes 'we  obtain  some  idea  of  Swcdcnborg's 
notion  of  the  myriad  offices  of  Salt,  and  at  the  same  time 
take  a  lesson  in  the  Chemistry  of  last  century. 

The  lied  Blood  has  its  birth  in  the  Stomach,  from  which  it 
ascends  as  Chyle  into  Serum,  and  is  taken  up  and  worn  as  a 
vesture  by  the  purer,  middle  or  White  Blood. 

The  White  Blood  is  derived  from  the  Ether  sucked  out  of 
the  Air  in  the  Lungs. 

4  The  Lungs  may  be  considered  as  a  single  Stomach  con- 
L  sisting  of  an  infinite  number  of  smaller  ones,  but  feeding  on 
'  aerial  food,  just  as  the  Stomach  feeds  on  terrestrial  food.'t 

Not  only  through  the  Lungs,  but  also  through  the  Skin 
does  the  White  Blood  draw  from  the  Air  the  Ether  it  requires 
for  its  sustenance. 

Not  only  Ether,  but  also  volatile  Salts  are  absorbed  by  the 
Lungs  and  Skin  from  the  Air. 

The  Ether  is  said  to  embrace  an  ocean  of  saline  and 
sulphurous  effluvia  from  animals,  vegetables  and  earths.  This 
effluvia  is  presented  to  the  White  Blood  by  means  of  the 
Lungs  and  Skin,  and  from  it  absorbs  the  Salts  it  needs.  The 
White  Blood-globule,  like  the  Red,  is  a  globule  by  means  of 
Salts ;  but  by  Salts  of  a  far  rarer  order. 

As  the  Red  Blood  is  the  vesture  of  the  White  ;  so  the 
White  Blood  is  the  vesture  of  the  Animal  Spirits. 

The  Brain  is  the  organ  of  the  Animal  Spirits ;  as  the 
Stomach  is  of  the  Red  Blood,  and  the  Lungs  of  the  White. 

The  Animal  Spirits  {  by  a  transcendental  art '  are  elaborated 
in  the  cortical  spherules  of  the  Brain  ;  1  by  a  wonderful  proccw 
4  they  are  conceived  within,  and  excluded  from  the  exquisitely 


»  Part  L,  Nos.  70-7'J 


f  Part  I.  Ho.  51 


THE  BKAIN  AND  THE  LUNGS. 


139 


1  fine  wombs  of  the  cortical  substance,'  and  by  the  Nerves  are 
conveyed  to  the  remotest  hamlets  of  the  Body,  and  emitted 
into  the  Blood.  The  Nerves  are  the  conduits  of  the  Animal 
Spirits,  and  through  them  they  glide  with  the  swiftness  of  light. 

There  is  no  part  or  substance,  in  the  Body  which  is  not 
permeated  and  interfused  by  the  Animal  Spirits ;  1  they  are 
1  the  life  and  the  cause,  the  mother  and  the  nurse  of  the 
'  inferior  Bloods,'  and  of  all  the  bones  and  tissues  condensed 
from  the  Blood. 

The  Brain  pulsates  and  propels  the  Animal  Spirits  through 
the  Nerves  just  as  the  Heart  does  the  Ked  Blood  bred  in  the 
Stomach.  What  the  Heart  is  to  the  arterial  and  venous 
circulation,  the  Brain  is  to  the  nervous.  Each  of  the  spherules 
of  the  cortical  substance  is  a  little  heart,  prefixed  to  its  fibre 
and  by  a  perpetual  systole  and  diastole  does  its  work. 

In  this  work  the  Brain  is  assisted  by  the  Lungs.  Between 
the  pulsations  of  the  one  and  the  respirations  of  the  other 
there  is  a  perfect  accord.  The  peculiarity  of  Swedenborg's 
own  breathing  probably  directed  his  attention  to  the  intimate 
relation  between  the  Brain  and  the  Lungs.  He  had  from 
childhood  been  used  to  sink  into  depths  of  thought,  in  which, 
while  his  Brain  paused,  his  Lungs  lay  still.  The  state  was  a 
kind  of  trance  which  after  middle  life  developed  into  a  pro- 
digious faculty.  Any  one,  who  pays  attention  to  his  own 
thoughts  and  breathings,  will  quickly  observe  how  intimately 
they  correspond.  As  often  as  the  Brain  is  intent,  and  thinking 
deeply,  it  will  be  noticed,  that  the  Lungs  rest  inactive ;  when 
the  Brain  is  exhilarated  and  joyous,  that  the  Lungs  expand 
and  inhale  great  gusts  of  Air ;  when  the  Brain  collapses  with 
fear,  that  the  Lungs  do  the  same ;  and  when  the  Brain  is 
disturbed  with  anger,  that  the  Lungs  gulp  in  the  Air  in  quick 
mouthfuls.  All  know  the  meaning  of  the  deep  sigh  of  care, 
which  is  only  a  great  breath  inspired  and  expired  after  a 
prolonged  thought.  The  sympathy  between  the  Brain  and 
the  Lungs  is  perfect. 


140 


ANIMAL  SPIRITS  AKE  THE  SOUL  S  BODY. 


We  have  thus  three  fountains  for  the  three  Bloods :  the 
Brain  for  the  Animal  Spirits,  the  Lun^s  for  the  White  Blood, 
and  the  Heart  for  the  Red.  The  motion  of  the  Red  Blood  is 
Rotatory,  of  the  White  Spiral,  and  of  the  Animal  Spirits 
Vortical. 

At  first  Swedenborg  seemed  inclined  to  think,  that  in  the 
Annual  Spirits  he  had  found  the  Soul.  He  owned,  that  though 
every  thing  in  the  Body  confirmed  their  existence  yet  1  they 
4  could  not  be  discovered  by  the  acutest  sense,  because  they  lie 
4  so  deeply  hid  in  Nature,  and  that  no  thought  can  approach 
4  unto  them,  except  by  way  of  Analogy,  and  the  Doctrine  of 
4  Series  and  Degrees  joined  to  Experience  :  nor  can  the  Animal 
4  Spirits  be  described  save  by  recourse  to  a  Mathematical 
4  Philosophy  of  Universals.'  * 

After  a  while  however  he  decided,  that  the  Animal  Spirits 
were  not  the  Soul,  but  the  Body  of  the  Soul,  and  the  Soul  he 
removed  into  a  higher  and  inner  region,  saying,  '  That  the 
1  Animal  Spirits  are  the  organ  of  the  Soul,  just  as  the  eye  is 
4  the  organ  of  sight,  the  ear  of  hearing,  the  tongue  of  taste, 
4  and  the  brain  of  universal  perception.! 

4  Enlightened  Reason  leads  us  to  believe,  that  the  Animal 
4  Spirits  are  not  the  first  of  substances,  although  they  are  the 
4  first  substance  in  the  Animal  Series,  being  formed  from  the 
4  First  Aura,'  or  the  Element  within  and  anterior  to  the 
Magnetic.  4  The  Animal  Spirits  form  and  rule  the  Body, 
4  but  they  in  turn  are  ruled  and  formed  by  the  higher  forces  of 
4  the  Soul.?  These  conclusions  he  attains  4  by  that  Intuition 
4  whereby  many  truths  are  captured  without  the  aid  of  the 
4  Sciences,  or  the  help  of  far-fetched  arguments,  by  that 
4  Intuition,  which  enables  us  to  decide  in  an  instant  whether 
1  what  any  one  tells  us  is  true,  or  not.'  J 

At  the  end  of  his  work  we  find  ourselves  no  nearer  a 
resolution  of  the  mystery  of  the  Soul  than  at  the  beginning. 


■  Pan  II    N    lit,  m    f  Part  II.,  Nu.  3i»3       |  Part  II..  No.  227. 


THE  SOUL  STILL  A  MYSTERY. 


141 


Behind  the  screen  of  the  Animal  Spirits  he  places  the  Soul, 
and  the  sum  of  his  doctrine  concerning  it  is  merely  a  sublima- 
tion of  his  Intuitions  about  the  Animal  Spirits. 

i  In  regard  to  substance  the  Soul  is  a  fluid,  yea,  a  fluid 
'  most  absolute.    It  is  produced  by  the  Aura  of  the  Universe ; 

*  it  is  enclosed  in  the  fibres  of  the  Body,  of  which  it  is  the 

4  supereminent  organ  If  it  is  asked,  Whether  the 

1  Soul  be  material  or  immaterial,  I  inquire,  Pray,  what  is 
'  Matter  ?    If  it  be  defined  as  extension  endued  with  inertia, 

*  then  the  Soul  is  not  material ;  for  inertia  only  belongs  to  the 

*  last  things  of  Nature,  such  as  Water  and  Minerals.  The 

*  first  Aura  of  the  World  is  not  Matter  in  this  sense,  neither 
4  gravity  nor  levity  can  be  predicated  of  that  Aura ;  but  on 

1  the  contrary,  active  force  On  the  other  hand,  Is 

c  not  everything  in  Creation  extended  ?  *  and  since  extended, 
1  May  not  the  Soul  on  that  ground  be  called  material  ?  Let 
1  us  not  however  trifle  over  words.'  f 

The  Soul  is  thus  only  the  Animal  Spirits  rarefied,  for 
Creation  he  keeps  iterating  proceeds  by  Series  and  Degrees 
from  rare  to  dense,  from  thin  to  thick.    As  he  says — 

L  There  is  only  one  first  substance  of  Creation,  from  it  all 
L  things  are  derived,  in  it  the  principles  of  all  things  are 
4  impressed  by  the  Deity.'  J 

Hence  by  Analogy  he  holds  that  he  may  infer  the  first 
from  the  last,  the  unseen  from  the  seen. 

We  have  in  these  speculations  a  marked  advance  on  the 
hard  Materialism  in  which  seven  years  before  he  worked  when 
writing  1  On  the  Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the  Body ;  ' 
and  now,  as  then,  we  note  with  pleasure,  that  he  felt  the 


*  Here  is  his  old  fallacy,  the  root  of  error  and  despair  in  these  speculations. 
All  things  in  Creation  are  not  extended  ;  Love,  Reason  and  Memory,  and  the 
countless  existences  of  the  Spiritual  Universe,  are  not  to  be  understood  or 
explained  by  any  sublimation  of  Matter. 

f  Part  II.,  No.  311. 

|  Part  I.,  No.  591. 


142 


TIIE  SOUL  NOT  TO  BE  TRAPPED. 


insufficiency  of  his  doctrine,  and  his  willingness  to  rise  and 
leave  all  as  labour  lost,  and  enter  upon  new  and  more  arduous 
toils  if  so  be  the  truth  may  be  won. 

4  To  discover  the  Soul  there  are  two  ways  ;  one  by  bare 
4  reasoning,  the  other  by  the  Anatomy  of  the  Body.  On 
4  making  the  attempt  I  found  myself  as  far  from  my  object 
4  as  ever.  No  sooner  did  I  feel  the  Soul  within  my  grasp 
4  than  1  found  it  eluding  me,  though  it  never  wholly  disap- 
f  pcared  from  my  view.  Thus  my  hopes  were  not  destroyed, 
4  but  deferred,  and  I  have  frequently  reproached  myself  with 
4  stupidity  for  being  ignorant  of  that,  which  was  yet  evcry- 
4  where  most  really  present  to  me ;  since  by  reason  of  the  Soul 
'  we  hear,  see,  feel,  perceive,  remember,  imagine,  think,  desire, 
4  will,  and  by  the  Soul  we  are,  move  and  live.  The  Soul  it 
4  is  by  cause  of  which,  and  out  of  which  the  visible  corporeal 
4  kingdom  chiefly  exists,  and  to  the  Soul  we  are  to  ascribe 
4  whatever  excites  our  wonder  in  the  Body ;  for  the  Body  is 
4  constructed  after  the  image  of  the  Soul.  Thus  did  I  seem 
1  to  see,  and  yet  not  to  see,  the  very  object  with  the  desire  of 
1  knowing  which  I  was  never  at  rest.  At  length  I  awoke  as 
4  from  a  deep  sleep  and  discovered,  that  nothing  is  further 
4  removed  from  the  Understanding  than  what  is  present  to  it, 
4  that  nothing  is  more  present  to  the  Understanding,  than  what 
4  is  universal,  prior  and  superior,  than  what  is  indeed  itself. 
4  What  is  more  omnipresent  than  the  Deity, — in  Ilim  we 
4  live,  and  are  and  move, — and  yet,  What  is  more  remote 
4  from  the  operation  of  the  Understanding?'* 

He  adds — 

4  Of  what  consequence  is  it  to  me,  that  I  should  persuade 
4  any  one  to  embrace  my  opinions  ?  Let  his  own  Reason 
4  persuade  him.  I  do  not  undertake  this  work  for  the  sake  of 
4  honour  or  money;  both  of  which  I  shun  rather  than  seek, 
4  because  they  disquiet  the  mind,  and  because  I  am  content 


»  Pari  II  .  No  208 


GOD  ALONE  IMMORTAL. 


143 


4  with  my  lot :  but  for  the  sake  of  truth,  which  alone  is 
4  immortal.'* 

Not  the  least  interesting  portions  of  4  The  Economy  of  the 
4  Animal  Kingdom '  arc  several  in  which  we  note  the  early 
dawn  of  some  of  the  chief  ideas  which  gave  specialty  to  his 
future  life,  and  which  have  made  him  a  name  among  men. 
These  for  instances. 

The  Spiritual  Body. 

Writing  in  1 734  he  told  us,  that  4  the  main  end '  of  his 
contemplated  physiological  labours  would  be,  4  to  demonstrate 
4  the  immortality  of  the  Soul  to  the  very  Senses. 'f 

The  Body  of  the  Soul,  as  we  have  read,  he  concluded  was 
constituted  of  Animal  Spirits,  which  are  one  in  substance  with 
the  First  Aura,  or  that  interior  sphere  of  Nature  which  lies 
within  the  Magnetic  Element. 

4  Now,'  he  says,  4  should  any  one  of  the  external  spheres 
4  of  Nature  be  dissolved,  the  internal  nevertheless  remain 
4  unharmed ;  for  though  the  effect  be  lost  the  cause  endures : 
4  thus  wherever  Air  ceases  Ether  is  found  :  when  the  Red 
4  Blood  dies  the  Animal  Spirits  survive:  though  death  destroy 
4  the  Body  the  Soul  escapes  unscathed.  | 

4  Hence  the  human  Spirituous  Fluid  is  above  all  the  harms 
4  which  can  befall  the  earthly  Body.  It  is  indestructible  and 
4  immortal,  though  not  immortal  per  se.  The  Soul  cannot 
4  truly  of  itself  be  called  immortal ;  because  it  is  created  by 
4  the  one  Immortal  Being,  Who  is  Eternal  Life.  For  Him 
4  to  create  anything  in  itself  immortal  would  be  to  create,  that 
4  which  He  is.  Whereas,  what  God  does,  is  to  preserve  the 
4  Soul  immortal  through  His  indwelling. 

4  When  by  death  the  Soul  is  emancipated  from  the  bonds 


*  Part  II.,  No.  218.    f  'Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the  Body,'  Sec.  XIII. 
%  Tart  I.,  No.  67. 


144 


NO  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  FLESH. 


1  and  trammels  of  the  Earth,  it  appears  in  the  exact  form  of  the 
1  Human  Body,  and  enters  on  a  life  pure  beyond  imagination. 

4  Had  I  not  found  myself  supported  by  the  authority  of  the 
4  most  Christian  Fathers,  I  should  not  have  dared  to  pronounce 
4  the  opinion,  that  the  Spirituous  Fluid  will  live  after  the  death 
4  of  the  Body ;  but  these  Fathers  held  it  for  certain,  that  we 
4  shall  hereafter  be  Angelic  Essences.  Thus  Apuleius,  Origen, 
k  Ambrose,  Basil,  Justin  Martyr,  Psellus,  and  Lactantius 

1  believed,  that  Angels  have  Bodies  Dionysius  the 

4  Areopagite,  Philo  Judaeus,  Athanasius,  Chrysostom,  and 
4  Thomas  Aquinas,   with  the  Schoolmen,  maintained  that 

4  Angels  are  without  Bodies  But  all  in  modern 

4  times  agree,  that  we  shall  be  purified  Bodies,  or  Spirits 
1  without  Bones  and  Flesh.'* 


N6  Resurrection,  or  Return  to  the  Flesh. 

4  Freed  from  the  entanglement  of  the  Flesh,  the  Soul 
4  rises  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  life.  Divested  of  the  Red 
4  Blood,  and  the  Flesh  and  Bone  produced  from  that  Blood, 
1  the  Soul  clothed  with  the  Spirit  preserves  the  perfect  form  of 
1  the  Body.  Xever  again  can  it  attract  the  elements  from  the 
k  three  Kingdoms  of  the  World  wherewith  to  form  anew  a 
1  fleshly  covering.  The  carnal  Body  is  at  death  dissolved  be- 
4  yond  recovery ;  the  Sold  has  no  more  any  need,  or  desire  for 
4  its  service.  Xor  can  the  Soul  migrate  back  to  Earth  by  means 
1  of  an  ovum,  according  to  the  dreams  of  old  philosophers ;  for 
1  the  volume  of  the  Animal  Spirits  is  great,  and  cannot  possibly 
4  begin  e  minimo  ;  therefore  the  Soul  is  under  the  permanent 
4  necessity  of  living  in  its  own  sphere,  and  in  no  other. 'f 

The  Soul  icill  he  its  oicn  Judge. 
1  After  death  not  the  smallest  deed  done  designedly  in  the 


*  Part  II..  Km.  34^.  349.  3.51.  356.  f  Tart  II  .  Ha  351. 


MAN  SHALL  DAMN  HIMSELF. 


145 


4  life  of  the  Body,  and  not  the  least  word  uttered  by  consent 
4  of  the  will,  but  shall  appear  in  the  bright  Light  of  an  internal 
c  Wisdom  before  the  tribunal  of  Conscience. 

4  There  are  no  innate  laws  in  the  Mind.  Conscience  is 
4  generated  from  instruction  adopted  by  free  choice,  scrutinized 
4  by  the  reason,  and  passed  by  the  judgment  into  the  will. 
4  When  the  conflict  of  life  is  over  Conscience  is  discovered 
4  either  killed,  wounded,  or  victorious.  If  killed,  it  is  a  sign 
4  that  the  Mind  has  given  up  all  love  and  fear  of  higher 
4  things,  and  has  resigned  itself  to  the  rule  of  the  lower  forces. 
4  If  wounded,  it  is  driven  about  from  hope  to  despair,  at  one 
4  moment  laying  down  its  arms  in  exhaustion,  and  at  another 
4  renewing  the  combat,  or  else  seeking  solace  in  the  doctrine 
4  of  predestination,  or  of  universal  grace  bestowed  without 
4  any  effort  to  deserve  it,  or  sometimes  it  attacks  and  impugns 
4  the  Truth,  although  the  Conscience,  that  does  this  is  well 
4  nigh  dead  of  its  wound.  If  victorious,  it  overflows  with 
4  transporting  joys. 

4  In  the  Light  into  which  the  Soul  enters  at  death  the 
4  Conscience  pronounces  its  own  sentence.  If  good,  it  rejoices 
1  in  the  Light ;  if  evil,  it  hastes  away  in  pain,  even  as  an 
4  injured  eye  shrinks  into  darkness,  though  all  the  while  the 
4  Light  is  excellent  and  blameless.'  * 

The  World  is  the  Seminary  of  Heaven. 

4  We  then  clearly  perceive,  that  everything  in  Creation 
4  tends  to  an  end.  What  is  the  World,  with  its  forms  and 
4  forces,  but  a  complex  of  means  to  a  universal  end  ?  That 
4  end  is  Man,  whereby  the  Creator  unites  Himself  with  a 
4  responsive  Creation  in  a  Society  of  Souls  in  the  Heavens. 

4  If  there  be  a  Society  of  Souls,  must  not  the  city  of  God 
4  on  the  universal  Earth  be  its  seminary  ?  The  most  universal 
4  law  of  its  citizens  is,  that  they  love  their  neighbour  as  them- 


*  Tart  II.,  Nos.  358-363. 


L 


146 


THERE  IS  NO  LIFE  SAVE  GOD. 


*  selves,  and  God  more  than  themselves.  All  other  things  are 
1  means  to  this  Divine  end. 

1  The  Holy  Scripture  is  the  code  of  rules  for  attaining  this 
1  Divine  end.  These  rules  are  not  so  dark  and  difficult  as 
4  Philosophy  and  the  Love  of  Self  and  the  World  would  make 
4  them  ;  nor  so  deep  and  hidden,  that  any  sincere  Soul  led  by 
4  the  Spirit  of  God,  may  not  draw  water  for  all  its  needs.'  * 

God  is  the  only  Life  ;  Creation  merely  manifests  Him. 

4  Life  is  one  thing  and  Nature  another. 

1  Nature  in  respect  to  Life  is  dead.  If  Nature  lived,  it 
4  would  live  either  from  itself,  or  from  some  other  thing,  or  by 
4  some  other  thing.  If  it  lived  from  itself  then  that  would 
4  live  which  we  clearly  see  does  not  live ;  and  Life  would  die 
c  when  the  forms  of  Nature  decay  in  which  Life  however  is  a 
4  mere  tenant.  Every  one  must  confess,  that  to  confound 
4  Nature  with  Life  is  to  violate  common  sense. 

4  Nature  only  serves  Life  as  an  instrument.  The  Animal 
4  Spirits  are  the  purest  organ  of  Nature  in  the  Body,  and  are 
4  most  exquisitely  adapted  for  the  reception  of  Life  from  Him 
4  Who  is  self-living,  and  without  Whom  not  anything  in 
'  Nature  could  endure. 

4  The  Soul  lives  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  Who  is  not 
4  Matter  but  Essence :  Whose  Esse  is  Life,  and  Whose  Life  is 
4  Wisdom. 

1  God  is  the  Fountain  of  Life,  the  Sun  of  Wisdom,  the 
4  Spiritual  Light,  the  very  Esse  and  I  AM  :  in  Whom  we  live, 
4  and  move,  and  have  our  being ;  from  Whom,  and  for  the 
4  sake  of  Whom,  are  all  things.  This  we  are  forbidden  by 
4  Holy  Scripture  to  doubt ;  we  are  forbidden  also  by  sound 
4  Keason,  for  the  ancient  philosophers  acknowledged  it  out  of 
4  the  mere  light  of  their  own  understandings.  44  Life  belongs 
'400  God,  and  the  action  of  God  is  Life,*'  says  Aristotle; 


*  Tart  II.,  Nos.  3f>4-3<y, 


TWO  SUNS  AND  THE  SOUL. 


147 


4  and  again,  "  The  operation  of  God  is  immortality,  that  is, 
4  4  perpetual  Life."  * 

The  Sun  of  Nature  and  the  Sun  of  God. 

4  To  know  in  what  manner  Life  and  Wisdom  from  God 
4  flow  into  the  Soul  is  infinitely  above  the  sphere  of  the  human 
<  Mind ;  there  is  no  analysis  and  no  abstraction,  which  can 
*  reach  so  high ;  for  whatever  is  in  God,  and  whatever  law 
4  God  acts  by,  is  God.  The  only  representation  we  can  have 
1  of  it,  is  in  the  way  of  comparison  with  light ;  for  as  the  Sun 
4  is  the  fountain  of  light  to  the  World,  so  the  Deity  is  the  Sun 
1  of  Life  and  all  Wisdom.  As  the  Sun  of  the  World  flows  in 
4  one  only  manner,  and  without  unition  into  the  objects  and 
4  subjects  of  its  Universe ;  so  also  does  the  Sun  of  Life  and 
4  Wisdom.  As  the  Sun  of  the  World  flows  in  by  mediating 
4  Auras,  so  the  Sun  of  Life  and  Wisdom  flows  in  by  the 
4  mediation  of  His  Spirit.  As  the  Sun  of  the  World  flows 
4  into  objects  and  subjects  according  to  the  form  of  each ;  so 
4  also  does  the  Sun  of  Life  and  Wisdom.  We  are  not  how- 
4  ever  at  liberty  to  go  further  than  this  into  the  details  of  the 
4  comparison ;  inasmuch  as  the  one  Sun  is  within  Nature,  and 
4  the  other  is  above  it :  the  one  is  physical,  the  other  purely 
4  moral,  and  the  one  lies  under  the  range  of  the  Mind,  while 
4  the  other  lies  withdrawn  among  the  sacred  mysteries  of 
4  theology ;  between  which  two  are  boundaries,  that  it  is 
4  impossible  for  human  faculties  to  transcend.'  f 

Man  derives  his  Soul  from  his  Father  and  his  Body  from 

his  Mother. 

4  The  Soul  of  every  child  is  derived  from  its  Father,  and 
4  the  Souls  of  all  from  Adam,  who  received  his  Soul  imine- 
4  diately  from  the  Creator.  If  the  Soul  is  the  Spirituous 
4  Fluid,  or  the  purest  natural  essence  of  man,  it  can  come 


*  Part  II.,  Nos.  235,  245,  311  f  Vaxt  II.,  No.  251 

L  2 


148 


CHAKLES  XII. 


1  from  no  other  place  than  the  soil  of  its  birth  in  the  Father. 
1  The  Body  alone  is  from  the  Mother.'  * 

These  passages  are  well  worth  careful  notice  ;  as  they  mark 
a  great  advance  in  Swedenborg's  mind,  and  by  and  bye  we 
shall  find  the  same  opinions  presented  to  us  with  new  develope- 
ments  as  Divine  revelations. 

In  dealing  with  an  author  so  diffuse  as  Swedenborg,  a 
severe  curb  has  to  be  placed  on  quotation  ;  yet  the  reader 
having  bome  so  much,  may  perhaps  suffer  a  few  lines  on 
Swedenborg's  old  master,  whom  he  adduces  as  an  example  of 
true  courage. 

Charles  XII. 

i  Genuine  valour  is  preceded  and  accompanied  by  no  palpi- 
1  tation  of  the  heart,  no  cold  sweat,  no  defection  of  the  senses, 
1  nor  drooping  of  the  limbs ;  that  is  to  say,  there  is  no 
'  immoderate  flux  of  the  blood  into  the  veins,  no  half  dying 
1  with  fright,  no  dread  of  death,  but  rather  a  presence  of  mind, 
'  a  quick  intellectual  discernment,  a  strength  of  limb,  a  kind 
4  of  frothing  of  the  cheeks  from  their  glands,  and  an  evolution 
'  of  glowing  heat ;  that  is  to  say,  life  is  then  greater  in 

4  quantity,  and  better  in  quality  This  true  valour 

4  was  seen  in  Charles  XII.,  late  King  of  Sweden,  that 
L  Hero  of  the  North,  who  knew  not  fear,  nor  that  spurious 
c  valour  and  daring  which  are  excited  by  anient  spirits,  for 
k  be  never  drank  aught  but  pure  water.  Of  him  we  may 
1  say,  that  he  led  a  life  more  remote  from  death,  and  in  fact 
1  lived  more  than  other  men.'  f 


*  Part  II.,  No.  295.  This  notion  of  the  genesis  of  the  Soul  will  play  a 
great  part  in  Swedenborg's  theological  system.  Aristotle  maintained  the  same 
opinion.  'The  Body'  says  he,  'is  from  the  female,  the  Soul  from  the  male.' 
l)e  Generat.  Animal.,  lib.  ii.,  cap.  iv. 

f  Part  I  .  No.  232. 


(    149  ) 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM* 


4  Not  very  long  since,'  writes  Swedenborg,  4 1  published 
4  4  The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom]  and  before  travers- 
4  ing  the  whole  field  in  detail,  I  made  a  rapid  passage  to  the 
4  Soul,  and  put  forth  an  article  concerning  it.  On  considering 
4  the  matter  more  deeply  I  found,  that  I  had  directed  my 
4  course  thither  too  hastily ;  after  having  explored  the  Blood 
4  only  and  its  organs  :  I  took  the  step  impelled  by  a  burning 
4  desire  for  knowledge. 

4  As  the  Soul  acts  in  the  supreme  and  innermost  parts,  and 
4  cannot  be  reached  until  all  her  swathings  have  one  by  one 
4  unrolled,  I  am  therefore  determined  to  allow  myself  no  rest 
4  until  I  have  traversed  the  universal  Animal  Kingdom  to  the 
4  Soul.  By  bending  my  course  inwards  continually,  I  shall 
4  open  all  the  doors,  which  lead  to  her,  and  at  length  con- 
4  template  the  Soul  herself:  by  the  Divine  permission. 'f 

Thus  clearly  does  he  set  forth  his  aim,  and  thus  his  plan. 

4 1  intend  to  examine,  physically  and  philosophically,  the 


*  4  Regnum  Animate  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philosophize  perlustratum. 
4  Cujus  Pars  Prima.  De  Visceribus  Abdominis  seu  de  Organis  Begionis 
1  Liferioris  agit.    Hagce  Comitum,  apud  Adrianum  Blyvenburgium,  1744. 

4  Regnum  Animate  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philosophice  perlustratum.  Cujus 
'  Pars  Secunda.  De  Viscenbus  Thoracis  seu  de  Organis  Begionis  Superioris 
4  agit.    Hagoz  Comitum,  apud  Adrianum  Blyvenburgium,  1744. 

4  Begnum  Animate  Anatomice,  Physice,  et  Philosophice  perlustratum.  Cujus 
1  Pars  Tertia.  De  Cute,  Sensu  Tactus,  et  Gnstus;  et  de  Formis  Organicis  in 
1  Oenere,  agit.    Londmi,  1745.' 

f  Part  I.,  Prologue,  No.  19. 


150 


A  GRAND  PROSPECTUS. 


4  whole  Anatomy  of  the  Body,  all  its  Viscera,  abdominal  and 
4  thoracic,  the  Generative  Organs  of  both  sexes,  and  the 
4  Organs  of  the  five  Senses.  Likewise, 

4  The  Anatomy  of  all  parts  of  the  Cerebrum,  Cerebellum, 
4  Medulla  Oblongata,  and  Medulla  Spinalis. 

4  Afterwards,  the  cortical  substance  of  the  two  Brains,  and 
4  their  medullary  fibre  ;  also,  the  nervous  and  muscular  fibres 
4  of  the  Body,  and  the  causes  of  the  forces  and  motion  of  the 
'  whole  organism  :  Diseases  moreover,  those  of  the  Head  par- 
1  ticularly,  or,  which  proceed  by  defluxion  from  the  Cerebrum. 

4 1  propose  afterwards  to  give  an  introduction  to  Rational 
4  Psychology,  consisting  of  certain  new  Doctrines  by  the 
4  assistance  of  which,  we  may  be  conducted  from  the  material 
4  Body  to  the  immaterial  Soul.    These  Doctrines  are — 


4  The  Doctrine  of  Forms. 
4  The  Doctrine  of  Order  and 

4  Degrees. 
4  The  Doctrine  of  Series  and 

4  Society. 


The  Doctrine  of  Influx. 

The  Doctrine  of  Corres- 
pondence and  Representa- 
tion. 

The  Doctrine  of  Modifica- 
tion. 


4  From  these  Doctrines  I  come  to  the  Rational  Psychology 
itself,  which  will  comprise 


4  Subjects  of  Action. 

1  External    and  Internal 

4  Sense. 
'  Intellect,    Thought  and 

4  wm. 


Imagination  and  Memory. 
The  Affections  of  the  Will. 
The    Affections    of  the 

llational  Mind. 
Instinct. 


4  Lastly,  of  the  Soul  and  of  its  connection  and  intercourse 
1  with  the  Body,  its  affections  and  immortality,  and  of  its  state 
4  when  the  Body  dies.  The  work  will  conclude  with  a  Con- 
4  cordance  of  Systems. 

4  From  this  summary  the  reader  may  see,  that  the  end  I 
4  propose  La  a  knowledge  of  the  Soul;  that  knowledge  will  be 


HE  WRITES  FOR  UNBELIEVERS. 


151 


4  the  crown  of  my  studies.  This  then  my  labours  intend,  and 
4  thither  they  aim.'  * 

In  what  a  different  sense  Swedenborg  is  here  speaking  of 
the  Soul  from  that  in  which  he  formerly  spoke,  take  this 
example — 

4  It  is  impossible  to  climb  or  leap  from  the  organic, 
4  physical,  and  material  World — I  mean,  the  Body — imme- 
4  diately  to  the  Soul,  of  which  neither  Matter,  nor  any  of  the 
4  adjuncts  of  Matter  are  predicable ;  for  Spirit  is  above  the 
4  comprehensible  modes  of  Nature,  and  in  that  region  where 
4  the  significations  of  physical  things  perish.'f 

Swedenborg  supposes,  that  some  may  object  to  his  search 
after  the  Soul  on  the  ground,  that  the  Soul  dwells  in  the  realm 
of  Faith,  and  not  of  Intellect;  and  that  Reason  ought  to 
confine  its  exercise  to  the  Earth,  and  not  aspire  to  heights, 
for  which  it  has  no  wings,  and  which  lie  in  the  domain  of 
Revelation. 

4 1  grant  this,'  he  says.  4  Those  who  are  inspired  by  a 
4  Divine  Faith  despise  the  assistance  of  confirmatory  arguments, 
4  and  perhaps  they  will  laugh  at  these  labours  of  mine ;  nor 
4  would  I  persuade  any  one,  who  comprehends  these  high  truths 
4  by  Faith,  to  attempt  to  compass  them  by  his  Intellect :  let 
4  him  abstain  from  my  books.  Who  so  believes  Revelation 
4  implicitly,  without  consulting  the  Intellect,  is  the  happiest  of 
4  mortals,  the  nearest  to  Heaven,  and  at  once  a  native  of  both 
4  Worlds. 

4  These  pages  of  mine  are  written  for  those  only,  who  never 
4  believe  anything  but  what  they  can  receive  with  the  Intellect ; 
4  consequently,  who  boldly  invalidate,  and  are  fain  to  deny  the 
4  existence  of  all  things  sublimer  than  themselves,  as  the  Soul 
4  itself,  and  what  follows  therefrom — its  life,  immortality, 
4  heaven,  etc.  These  things,  since  they  do  not  perceive  them, 
4  they  reject,  classing  them  among  empty  phrases,  phantasms, 


*  Part  I.,  Prologue,  Nos.  14,  15.        f  Part  I.,  Prologue,  No.  17. 


152 


SYNTHESIS  AMD  ANALYSIS. 


4  trifles,  fables,  conceits,  and  self-delusions  ;  consequently,  they 
4  honour  and  worship  Nature,  the  World  and  themselves; 
4  in  other  respects,  they  compare  themselves  to  brutes,  and 
4  think,  that  they  shall  die  as  brutes  die,  and  their  souls  exhale 
4  and  evaporate  :  thus  they  rush  fearlessly  into  wickedness. 

4  For  these  persons  only  I  am  anxious ;  for  them  I  indite, 
4  and  to  them  I  dedicate  my  work.'* 

There  are  two  ways,  says  Swedenborg,  which  promise  to 
lead  to  the  Soul — the  Analytic  and  the  Synthetic,  or  the 
Inductive  and  the  Deductive. 

The  Synthetic  commences  from  principles  and  causes,  and 
descends  to  Experience,  to  phenomena  and  effects. 

The  Analytic  commences  from  experience,  from  phenomena 
and  effects,  and  ascends  to  principles  and  causes. 

Thus  Analysis  as  a  method  of  proceeding  is  the  inverse  of 
Synthesis. 

In  the  Synthetic  way  Swedenborg  will  not  walk ;  he 
utterly  condemns  it,  saying — 

4  Synthesis  has  been  the  favourite  method  with  philosophers 
4  since  philosophy  began.  It  is  a  method  pleasing  and  won- 
4  derfully  akin  to  the  human  Mind ;  it  enables  the  philosopher 
4  to  indulge  his  own  tastes,  assume  the  principles  he  likes,  and 
4  proclaim  them  as  truths.  Should  anything  adverse  in  ex- 
4  perience  arise  Synthesis  easily  polishes  it  away,  represses,  or 
4  removes  it.  We  are  very  easily  beguiled  into  the  ideal  games 
4  of  Synthesis ;  the  race  is  easy.  We  fix  our  goal,  and  bound 
4  between  it  and  the  starting  place. 

4  Synthesis  is  easy  and  agreeable ;  but  it  is  not  the  way 
4  that  leads  to  truth.  Could  any  one  tell  me  by  Synthesis,  or 
4  a  priori,  what  is  contained  in  the  Body  ?  Could  any  one 
4  without  experience  predict,  that  it  contained  a  heart,  liver, 
'  kidneys,  arteries,  mesentery,  and  a  myriad  other  things  V 


Tart  I  .  Prologue,  Nob.  II,  22 


SYNTHESIS  IS  CURSED. 


153 


' .  .  .  .  But  alas !  through  Synthesis  we  are  often  so  puffed 
4  up  with  self-conceit,  that  we  fancy  we  are  in  the  sky  when 
4  we  are  squatting  on  the  earth,  in  the  light  when  we  are  in 
4  the  dark,  and  at  the  inmost  when  we  are  no  further  than  the 
4  outmost.  Synthetic  reasoning  is  the  cause  and  source  of 
4  the  insanities  of  the  human  Mind. 

4  The  Mind  derives  from  the  Senses,  or  absorbs  through  the 
4  Senses  all  the  materials,  on  which  it  reasons.  We  are  born 
4  in  complete  ignorance,  and  in  process  of  time  our  Senses 
4  are  opened,  through  them  impressions  are  received  and 
4  sublimated  into  ideas,  which  by  Keason  are  methodized  into 
4  doctrines.  Thus  by  slow  degrees  is  the  judgement  developed; 
4  and  this  is  Man's  only  way  of  attaining  truths,  so  long  as  his 
4  Soul  abides  in  the  Body. 

4  In  fact,  Synthesis  is  nothing  except  a  poor,  precocious 
4  and  vague  Analysis ;  it  gives  out  no  more  than  has  crept 
4  into  the  Intellect  by  the  Senses,  and  to  a  fragment  of  expe- 
4  rience,  frequently  distorted,  would  subdue  universal  expe- 
1  rience.  Whence  come  opinions,  hypothesis,  theories,  systems. 

4  These  monsters  of  Hypothesis  are  bom,  have  their  wor- 
4  shippers  and  their  day  of  glory,  grow  old,  die,  and  are 
4  forgotten ;  but  from  their  ashes  broods  of  new  ones  spring 
4  which  walk  as  spectres  through  the  earth,  and  like  enchant- 
4  resses  distract  the  human  Mind  perennially.  Hence  errors, 
4  mental  darkness  and  strife,  civil  wars  between  the  Soul  and 
4  Body,  scholastic  contentions  over  straws,  the  flight  and  exile 
4  of  truths,  stupor  and  black  night,  all  bred  from  the  inclination 
4  and  habit  of  Synthetic  reasoning.'  * 

What  an  excellent  piece  of  self-criticism  and  condemnation 
have  we  here  !  Often  whilst  discussing  4  The  Principia '  4  The 
4  Infinite '  and  4  The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom  1  have 
I  felt  tempted  to  express  my  weariness  with  Swedenborgian 
dreams  in  terms  something  like  these  ;  but  forbore ;  knowing 


*  Part  I.,  Prologue  No,  6-10  abridged. 


154 


ANALYSIS  IS  CHOSEN. 


what  was  coming.  The  expression  of  his  revulsion  against 
theory  goes  however  to  an  unwarrantable  though  natural 
extreme  and  exceeds  his  own  intention ;  it  is  like  an  out- 
and-out  curse  of  wine  in  the  suffering  and  disgust,  which 
follow  a  night  of  excess. 

4  So  much  for  Synthesis,'  he  continues,  4  now  for  Analysis. 

4  Analysis  commences  from  facts,  effects  and  phenomena, 
f  and  mounts  to  causes,  and  causes  of  causes.  It  searches  for 
4  facts,  collects  them  from  every  quarter,  heaps  them  together, 
4  and  again  selecting  them  from  the  heap,  reduces  them  to 
4  order.  Analysis  invokes  all  the  Sciences,  and  with  their  aid 
4  the  Mind  girds  herself  to  her  task,  and  begins  to  build.  Thus 
4  helped,  the  Mind  founds  and  rears  her  palace,  not  in  the  Air, 
4  which  is  not  her  element,  but  on  the  solid  Earth. 

1  Analysis  is  the  only  open  way  to  truths  for  us  earth-born 
f  men ;  but  verily  it  is  a  long  and  toilsome  road ;  for  as  all 
4  truths  are  related  together,  to  attain  thorough  knowledge  of 
4  one  we  must  needs  make  acquaintance  with  many.  We  must 
4  make  ourselves  masters  of  all  the  Sciences  and  Arts :  nay, 
4  from  those  already  known  we  must  generate  and  discover 
4  others.    In  a  word,  we  must  court  all  the  Muses. 

4  When  at  length  by  Analysis  we  have  attained  the  prin- 
4  ciples  of  things,  we  may  then  advocate  them  ;  and  from 
4  the  mountain  of  Principle  sit  and  contemplate  the  realm  of 
4  Experience.  Yet  when  we  have  done  our  utmost,  there  will 
4  remain  many  things  hid  in  obscurity ;  for,  while  the  Mind  is 
4  buried  in  the  Body  it  can  never  rise  wholly  above  the  mists 
4  of  the  Senses. 

4  We  are  now  in  possession  of  vast  stores  of  experimental 
4  knowledge,  Lying  dead  and  unused.  Let  us  then  gird  up  our 
4  loins  for  the  work.  Experience  is  at  our  side  with  a  full  horn 
4  of  plenty.  The  nine  Virgins  are  present  with  the  riches  of 
4  nearly  two  thousand  years.  Nor  do  1  think  we  ought  to 
4  wait  any  longer,  lest  haply  experimental  knowledge  should 
4  be  overtaken  by  age,  night  and  oblivion,  and  the  Arts  and 


HOW  FAR  HIS  SEARCH  PROCEEDED. 


155 


1  Sciences  be  carried  to  the  tomb ;  for,  unless  I  mistake  the 
1  signs  of  the  times,  the  World's  destinies  are  tending  thither- 
1  wards.  All  things,  at  the  present  day,  stand  provided  and 
'  prepared,  and  await  the  light.  The  ship  is  in  the  harbour, 
1  the  sails  are  swelling,  the  east  wind  blows ;  let  us  weigh 
'  anchor  and  put  forth  to  sea.'* 

The  order  pursued  in  c  The  Animal  Kingdom''  is  the  same 
as  in  4  The  Economy.'  First  is  premised  a  copious  selection 
of  facts  from  the  Anatomists  on  the  organ  under  consideration, 
and  then  follows  Swedenborg's  own  induction,  often  as  rich  in 
metaphor  and  analogy,  observation  and  suggestion,  as  Bacon's 
1  Essays '  themselves. 

He  only  published  three  volumes  of  his  great  undertaking. 

The  First  Part  appeared  at  Amsterdam  in  1744.  It  treats 
of  the  Viscera  of  the  Abdomen,  and  consists  of  chapters  on 
the  Tongue,  Mouth  and  Fauces  as  the  thresholds  of  the 
abdominal  regions,  on  the  Pharynx,  Stomach,  Intestines, 
Mesentery,  Thoracic  Duct,  Glands,  Liver,  Pancreas,  Spleen, 
Kidneys,  Bladder,  and  the  Peritonceum. 

The  Second  Part  likewise  appeared  at  Amsterdam  in 
1744.  It  treats  of  the  Viscera  of  the  Thorax,  and  is  com- 
posed of  chapters  on  the  Nose,  Larynx,  Trachea,  Lungs, 
Pleura,  Thymus  Gland,  and  the  Diaphragm. 

The  Third  Part  appeared  in  London  in  1745.  It  treats  of 
the  Skin  and  the  Sense  of  Touch,  Organic  Forms  generally, 
the  Sense  and  Sensorium  of  Touch  specifically,  the  Use  of 
Touch,  and  the  Sense  of  Taste. 

This  third  part  was  the  last  of  Swedenborg's  physiological 
publications.  The  work  he  had  mapped  out  for  himself  he 
never  completed;  yet  his  manuscripts  prove,  that  he  had 
advanced  far  beyond  the  point  where  he  bade  farewell  to  the 
printer ;  among  them  is  a  work  on  the  Brain  of  upwards  of  a 


*  Part  I.,  Prologue,  Nos.  11,  14,  23,  abridged. 


15(3 


PHYSIOLOGICAL  MANL* 8C RI PTS . 


thousand  pages,  besides  treatises  on  other  portions  of  the 
Body,  some  of  which  have  of  late  years  been  printed.  I 
shall  not  cumber  these  pages  with  their  enumeration  or 
description,  but  enter  them  in  the  ample  catalogue  raisonne 
to  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 


(    157  ) 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  WORSHIP  AND  LOVE  OF  GOD  * 


The  4  Worship  and  Love  of  God]  although  published  in 
London  in  1745,  would  appear  to  have  been  written  several 
years  preceding  that  date.  Its  structural  affinity  is  closer  to 
*  The  Principia  '  of  1734  than  to  4  The  Animal  Kingdom '  of 
1744,  though  annotated  with  his  later  thought.  In  4  The 
4  Principia '  Swedenborg  worked  out  Creation  as  far  as 
Paradise,  and  in  4  The  Worship  and  Love  of  God '  he  takes 
up  the  thread  of  his  story  and  tells  us  how  Plants  and 
Animals,  and  Adam  and  Eve  were  made.  Why  he  entitled 
his  book  4  De  Cultu  et  Amore  Dei^'  I  cannot  divine ;  in  any 
ordinary  sense  it  seems  a  misnomer. 

He  opens  his  work  in  telling  us,  that  4  walking  alone  in  a 
4  pleasant  grove  in  Autumn  for  the  purpose  of  composing  my 
4  thoughts,  and  observing  that  the  trees  were  shedding  their 
4  foliage,  and  that  the  falling  leaves  were  flying  around,  from 
4  sad  I  became  serious  as  I  recollected  the  gratifications,  which 
4  that  grove,  from  the  beginning  of  Spring  even  to  this  season, 
4  had  communicated,  and  so  often  diffused  throughout  my 
4  whole  Mind. 

4  On  seeing  this  change  of  scene,  I  began  to  meditate  on 


*  '  Pars,  I.  De  Cultu  et  Amore  Dei;  ubiagiturde  Telluris  Ortu,  Paradiso 
1  et  Vivario,  turn  de  Primogeniti  seu  Adami  Navitate,  Infantia  et  Amore.  Ab 
'  Eraan.  Swedenborg.    Londini,  1745.' 

'  Pars,  II.  De  Conjugio  Adami,  et  de  Anima,  Mente  Intellectuali,  Statu 
1  Integritatis,  et  Imagine  Dei.    Ab  Email.  Swedenborg.    Londini,  1745.' 


158 


MAN  HAS  HIS  SEASONS  LIKE  EARTH. 


4  the  vicissitudes  of  times  j  .and  it  occurred  to  me  whether  all 
4  things  relating  to  time  do  not  pass  through  similar  vicissi- 
4  tudcs :  thus,  whether  this  is  not  the  case  with  our  lives  as 
4  well  as  forests;  for  it  is  evident,  that  they  too  commence  in 
1  a  kind  of  Spring  and  blossom,  and  passing  through  their 
4  Summer,  sink  rapidly  into  their  old  age,  the  image  of 
4  Autumn.  Nor  is  this  the  case  only  with  individual  lives, 
4  but  also  with  the  World,  Nations  and  Societies.  The  World 
4  has  had  its  time  of  infancy  and  innocence  called  its  gold  and 
4  silver  ages,  which,  it  is  now  believed,  are  about  to  be  suc- 
4  ceeded  by  the  last  or  iron  ages,  which  in  their  turn  will 
6  shortly  moulder  away  into  rust  or  the  dust  of  clay.' 

The  wise  Ancients,  he  goes  on  to  say,  clearly  perceived 
from  the  analogy  and  this  perpetual  authority  of  Nature, 
that  Man  must  have  had  his  Spring-time  of  innocence,  when 
Earth  was  a  self-cultivated  orchard  and  garden  of  Paradise 
fanned  with  zephyrs  and  warmed  with  a  gentle  and  con- 
siderate Sun. 

He  too  would  revive  and  contemplate  this  Paradise  with 
its  varied  circumstances  by  aid  of  the  mirrors  of  analogy. 

4  Nevertheless  without  the  favour  and  influence  of  the 
4  Supreme  Deity,  from  Whom,  as  from  the  only  Fountain  and 
4  highest  Sun  of  Wisdom,  all  truths  flow  down  into  our 
4  understandings  inquiry  would  be  vain ;  wherefore  let  us 
4  with  adoration  supplicate  His  presence  and  His  favour.' 

With  this  solemn  invocation  he  commences  his  description 
of  Creation. 

The  Sun  is  surrounded  with  Earths,  which  by  their  varied 
attitudes  towards  him  bring  on  themselves  their  Seasons  and 
their  Days  and  Nights. 

4  Like  an  aged  parent  the  Sun  looks  on  these  revolving 
4  Globes  as  his  offspring  ;  he  continually  consults  their  general 
4  and  particular  interests,  and  although  they  are  distant,  he 
4  never  fails  to  exercise  over  them  his  care  and  parental  pro- 
jection;  he  cherishes  them  with  the  warmth  issuing  froil) 


THE  PLANETS  BORN  FROM  THE  SUN. 


159 


4  his  immense  bosom ;  he  adorns  their  bodies  and  members 
4  every  year  with  beautiful  clothing ;  he  nourishes  their  people 
4  with  a  constant  supply  of  food ;  he  promotes  the  life  of  all 
4  things,  and  glorifies  them  in  his  radiance. 

4  Since  then  the  Sun  executes  all  the  functions  of  a  parent, 
4  it  follows  from  the  connection  and  tenour  of  causes,  that  if 
4  we  are  desirous  to  unfold  the  history  of  the  Earth  from  her 
4  origin  and  earliest  infancy,  we  must  have  recourse  to  the 
4  Sun  himself :  for  every  effect  is  a  continuity  of  causes  from 
4  the  first  cause ;  and  the  cause  by  which  anything  subsists  is 
4  continued  to  the  cause  by  which  it  exists,  since  subsistence  is 
4  a  kind  of  perpetual  existence.'* 

He  now  invites  us  to  contemplate  the  Earth  in  its  birth,  or 
in  its  egg. 

4  There  was  therefore  a  time  like  no  time  when  the  Sun 
4  was  pregnant,  and  carried  in  his  womb  the  bodies  of  his  own 
4  universe ;  and  when  his  time  was  come  he  emitted  them  into 
4  space. 't 

It  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  the  Sun  projected  from 
himself  the  Earths  as  they  now  exist ;  4  it  was  impossible  that 
4  he  could  carry  in  his  burning  focus  such  heavy  and  inert 
4  bodies.'    This  was  the  process. 

The  Sun  was  overspread  with  effluvias,  flowing  in  abun- 
dance and  in  every  direction  from  him.  These  in  course  of 
time  condensed,  and  formed  a  nebulous  expanse,  like  the 
white  of  an  egg,  in  which  he  was  enclosed.^    On  the  outer 


*  Part  I.,  No.  7. 
t  Part  I.,  No.  9. 

X  He  explains  the  disappearance  of  Stars  from  this  cause ;  and  the  passage 
may  be  taken  as  a  good  illustration  of  Swedenborg's  habit  of  putting  forth 
his  conjectures  as  certainties. 

'  It  is  manifest  that  similar  incrustations  have  not  unfrequently  appeared 
'  in  the  Starry  Heavens ;  for  occasionally  new  Stars  have  been  seen  shining 
'  with  great  brightness,  and  presently  by  degrees  growing  dim,  yet  after- 
1  wards  returning  to  their  former  splendour,  or  altogether  vanishing  ;  which 
'  is  a  sure  proof,  that  these  Stars  have  been  crusted  over  with  their  cxhala- 


160 


SEVEN  PLANETS  BROUGHT  FORTH. 


surface  of  this  exhalation  a  crust,  like  the  shell  of  an  egg,  was 
formed.  The  Sun  thus  hemmed  in  burned  to  be  delivered. 
His  fiery  energies  at  last  gathered  force  to  crack  the  shell, 
which  broke  into  as  many  masses  as  there  are  Planets. 

For  a  while  they  lay  round  L  the  burning  bosom  of  their 
4  father  sucking,  as  it  were,  at  his  teats but  presently  he 
began  to  cast  forth  other  exhalations,  which  turned  into 
Auras,  and  they  into  Ether  which  wrapped  itself  like  swad- 
dling clothes  about  the  infant  Planets. 

Ensphered  in  Ether,  and  through  the  Ether  impelled  by 
the  Sun,  c  the  Planets  commenced  to  rotate  and  to  creep,  and 
1  then  to  dance  like  little  children  in  quick  and  short  circuits 
1  around  their  father.  Slowly  and  by  degrees  they  moved  into 
1  wider  and  wider  orbits,  and  were  thus  gradually  weaned  from 
1  direct  dependence  on  his  glowing  bosom. 

1  Seven  children,  seven  Planets,*  were  in  this  way  born 
4  from  the  Sun.  Each  according  to  its  size  and  weight  receded 
1  at  a  quicker,  or  a  slower  pace  from  its  natal  centre.  Some 

1  tions,  which  have  either  been  broken  and  their  beams  allowed  to  reappear,  or 
1  unbroken  continue  to  hide  them. 

1  If  we  compare  the  immense  magnitude  of  the  Sun  with  his  Planets, 
'  we  may  easily  see  that  such  a  crust  would  suffice  to  make  them  all  big  as 
1  they  are. 

'  This  crust  or  egg  was  the  chaos  so  famous  of  old,  consisting,  as  was 
'  supposed,  of  the  elements  of  all  things  in  a  heap  of  confusion,  from  which 
1  afterwards  was  educed  the  Cosmos.' — Note  D  to  Xo.  9. 

*  On  this  statement  has  been  hung  the  absurd  story  that  Swedenborg  fore- 
told the  existence  of  Uranus,  the  seventh  Planet,  discovered  by  Herschel  in 
1781.  "  The  Sun  and  Seven  Planets"  had  been  talked  about  from  the  mystical 
significance  of  the  number  seven  from  the  days  of  Pythagoras.  Sometimes 
the  Sun  was  reckoned  the  seventh,  sometimes  the  Moon,  and  some  conjectured 
the  existence  of  a  seventh  in  the  inordinate  space  between  the  orbits  of  Mars 
and  Jupiter:  a  speculation  justified  in  the  subsequent  discovery  of  the  troop 
of  Planetoids.  To  settle  the  question,  if  there  be  any,  that  Swedenborg  had 
no  peculiar  meaning,  or  credit  in  the  mention  of  Seven  Planets,  I  need  go  no 
further  than  a  book  now  on  my  table,  Carlyle's  4  History  <>j  Fn  <L  rick  the  QnmtJ 
At  Reinsburg,  Prince  Frederick's  residence,  writes  Mr.  Carlyle,  '  the  moat 
'  bridge  had  upon  it  Seven  Statues  representing  the  Seven  Planets,  each 
'  holding  in  her  hand  a  glass  lamp  in  the  form  of  a  globe.'  Vol.  II,  p.  69. 
That  was  in  1739.    Farther  nn  I  shall  have  occasion  to  revert  to  this  matter. 


THE  EARTH  IN  ITS  BOILING  DAYS. 


161 


L  of  them  brought  along  with  them  from  the  palace  of  their 
'  parent  little  orbs  as  servants.  Our  Earth  brought  only  one 
'  as  a  handmaid,  which  is  called  the  Moon,  in  order  that  she 
1  might  reflect  the  glory  of  the  Sun  upon  her  face  in  the 
«  night.'* 

The  Earth  in  its  first  state  '  was  a  large  heap  of  fluent 
c  principles  of  inert  Nature,'  boiling  furiously  in  the  Sun's 
glare.  Innumerable  were  the  changes  necessary  to  condense 
these  principles  to  Water,  Salt,  Earths,  &c,  so  that  from  them 
again  Plants  and  Animals  might  be  hatched. 

Two  agencies  are  seen  in  all  Nature,  when  anything  is 
produced — an  Active  and  a  Passive.  At  the  beginning  the 
Ether,  in  which  the  World  floated,  was  the  Active,  and  the 
World  itself  the  Passive.  From  the  marriage  of  the  two 
was  born  the  Air,  which  swathed  the  Earth  like  a  robe, 
tempered  the  Sun's  rays,  and  gently  pressed  its  surface. 

The  Earth  then  began  to  contract  a  crust,  which  thickened 
like  a  scum  over  the  continually  boiling  mass.  In  this  state  it 
'  was  a  perfect  sphere  without  hills  or  valleys,  and  only  divided 
1  by  rivers  and  streams,  springing  up  from  hot-baths,  like  warm 
1  veins  in  a  new  body.'  It  was  overspread  too  with  a  dense 
mist,  which  rose  into  the  Air,  and  returned  again  to  its  surface 
as  a  heavy  dew.  4  This  virgin  Earth  was  now  like  a  new  egg 
1  with  the  Mineral,  Vegetable,  and  Animal  Kingdoms  hidden 
1  in  its  substance.' 

Thus  the  Earth  hastened  to  her  maturity.  At  first,  whilst 
almost  touching  the  Sun's  disk,  her  Seasons  were  so  rapid,  thai- 
she  passed  through  ages  of  years,  which  if  measured  by  our 
time  would  scarcely  equal  as  many  months ;  but  her  days  and 
years  lengthened  as  she  retreated  from  her  parent.  Once  she 
occupied  the  orbit  of  Mercury,  and  once  that  of  Venus :  yea, 
there  is  not  a  space  between  her  present  orbit  and  the  Sun, 
which,  during  her  retreat,  she  did  not  traverse. 


*  Part  I.,  Nos.  10  and  11  abridged. 

M 


162 


THE  BIRTH  OF  VEGETATION. 


These  short  years  of  quiek  recurring  Seasons  kept  the 
Earth  in  a  perpetual  Spring.  '  There  were  no  boisterous 
1  winds,  nor  the  least  cloiul  between  her  and  the  full  splendour 
1  of  the  Sun  and  Stars.    In  perfect  serenity  and  order  the 

*  Sun  and  Earth  conspired  in  the  work  of  Creation. 

1  It  had  been  decreed  from  eternity  before  the  birth  of  the 
4  Sun,  that  the  Earth  should  not  only  hatch  the  seeds  and 
'  eg£s7  which  she  bore  in  her  most  chastised  womb ;  but  that 
1  she  should  also  nourish,  and  educate  them  up  to  independent 
1  life  in  the  midst  of  that  perfect  Spring,  in  which  she  now 
k  luxuriated. 

1  At  the  beginning  of  this  Spring  the  Earth  brought  forth 
1  most  lovely  flowers  from  the  small  seeds,  which  lay  nearest 
4  to  her  surface.  They  were  variegated  in  a  myriad  forms 
;  and  colours,  numerous  as  the  delights  and  smiles  of  Nature. 
4  Every  flower  disputed  with  its  neighbour  the  palm  of  ele- 
1  ganoe.  As  many  as  were  the  clods  of  earth  on  which  the 
k  Sun  rained  his  beams  were  the  varieties  of  floral  beauty. 
1  Some  were  marked  with  Stars  picturing  the  Heavens,  and 
L  some  reflected  the  Sun  flaming  with  his  rays,  and  represented 
L  his  marriage  with  the  Earth. 

1  On  the  soil  formed  from  the  decay  of  the  flowers  sprang 
L  shrubs,  and  then  tree  -  grouped  into  groves,  and  at  last  there 

*  appeared  that  delicious  garden  called  Paradise,  through 
1  which  ran  innumerable  rivers  sporting  in  perpetual  circuits 
1  among  beds  of  violets  and  evergreen  glades.  Such  was  the 
\  first  scene  of  the  theatre  of  our  World.** 

In  the  perfection  of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom  the  Sim  reached 
the  limit  of  his  powers.  He  could  maintain  the  Paradise, 
chilli  had  been  created  ;  but  Paradise  was  only  a  means  to  an 
end.  Insects,  birds  and  beasts  were  wanted  for  the  garden  ; 
but  to  their  production  the  Sun  was  unequal. 

Swedenborg  here  introduces  a  higher  force,  which  he 


'  Nus.  17  to  21. 


HOW  INSECTS,  BIRDS  AND  BEASTS  WERE  CREATED.  16^ 


describes  as  the  Sun  of  Life,  or  the  Spiritual  Sun.  This  Sun 
is  perfectly  distinct  from  the  visible  Sun ;  they  stand  in  the 
relations  of  cause  and  effect,  of  master  and  servant,  of  Soul 
and  Body.  The  inner  Sun  is  to  the  spiritual  side  of  Creation 
all  that  the  outer  Sun  is  to  the  material  side.  This  Sun  of 
Life  flows  immediately  from  the  Infinite,  or  from  God  Himself, 
Who  alone  IS,  and  by  this  Sun  He  animates  the  Souls  of 
living  things  for  the  uses  of  their  life.'* 

The  inner  Sun  now  entered  on  his  labours  in  the  Vegetable 
Kingdom,  bending  every  plant  in  Paradise  to  the  service  of 
his  creative  purpose. 

In  the  tender  leaves  of  herbs  his  rays  formed  eggs,  which 
were  hatched  by  the  heat  of  the  outer  Sun  into  animalcula, 
worms  and  caterpillars,  from  which  arose  swarms  of  insects, 
and  butterflies,  whose  wings  of  gorgeous  dye  fanned  all  the 
flowers  in  rivalry  of  their  glories. 

c  Shrubs  next  twisted  their  officious  twigs  into  nests  in 
1  which  eggs  were  developed,  and  birds  of  as  many  kinds 
c  flew  forth  as  there  were  varieties  of  shrubs.  Seeds  were 
1  providentially  scattered  around  by  willing  grasses  for  the 
L  nourishment  of  the  callow  broods.  The  lustre  of  the  plumage 
4  of  the  birds  irradiated  the  garden  :  some  had  heads  crowned 
c  and  crested,  as  if  with  gems  and  diadems,  and  in  their  tails 
1  shone  stars,  auroras,  and  rainbows,  'f 

Lastly,  quadrupeds  after  their  kind  were  bred  from  eggs, 
hatched  and  nourished  with  the  help  of  the  trees ;  4  some 
c  bearing  in  their  horns  so  many  proofs  of  their  descent  from 
1  the  forest.' 

Our  author  held  the  idea,  that  there  is  a  correspondence 
between  the  various  orders  of  Plants  and  Animals :  thus  that 


*  No.  23  and  Note  Q.  This  doctrine  concerning  the  Spiritual  Sun  is 
repeated  from  '  The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom.'  We  shall  see  it 
take  a  cardinal  place  in  Sweden  boil's  Theology  as  a  Divine  Revelation. 

t  No.  26. 

M  2 


n;4 


THE  CREATION  OF  FISH  AND  REPTILES. 


insects  were  bred  from  herbs,  birds  from  shrubs,  and  quadru- 
peds from  trees. 

His  notion  of  the  beasts  of  Paradise  was  not  the  common 
one  of  their  harmlessness.  1  Some,'  he  says,  'were  fierce,  and 
'  delighted  in  nothing  but  blood ;  some  were  black  witli  gall 
k  and  had  sullen  countenances ;  some  were  haughty  with  self- 
1  admiration,  and  walked  with  a  strut ;  others  were  tame  and 
1  gentle,  and  quietly  bore  the  threats  and  haughtiness  of  their 
'  neighbours  ;  but  others  were  timid  and  fearful,  trembling  at 
'  the  mere  sight  of  fierceness ;  and  some  were  employed  only 
i  in  the  pleasures  of  love,  and  were  continually  sportive.* 

1  As  the  Earth  gave  birth  to  creeping  things,  birds  and 
1  beasts,  so  in  the  same  order  did  the  beds  of  rivers,  clothed 
'  with  their  own  vegetation,  breed  aquatic  animals  of  every 
'species.  First,  tortoises  and  shell-fish;  then  fish  with  fins, 
'  which  are  in  the  water  what  birds  are  in  the  air;  and  Lastly, 
k  amphibious  reptiles  and  the  great  monsters,  which  walk  the 
'  broad  bottoms  of  the  waters  as  their  firm  ground. 'f 

A  fully  garnished  World  now  stood  waiting  for  its  King. 
For  his  touch  there  was  the  balmy  warmth  of  the  Spring ;  for 
his  smell  the  fragance  of  a  wilderness  of  flowers ;  for  his  mouth 
fruits  of  exquisite  flavour ;  for  his  ear  the  song  of  the  birds  ; 
for  his  eyes  the  majesty  of  the  Heavens  and  the  loveliness  of 
the  Earth.  All  things  longed  for  Man  their  Master  ;  for  him, 
'  who  was  the  first  in  the  infinite  intuition  of  the  Deity,  but 
'  the  last  in  His  Creation,  being  at  once  its  epitome  and  its 
'  crown. 

'  There  was  no  object,  not  even  the  smallest,  from  which 
k  some  resemblance  of  Deity  did  not  shine  forth ;  therefore  all 
1  things  languished  with  desire  to  be  enjoyed  by  some  being, 
1  who  could  return  everlasting  thanks  to  the  Deity  for  himself 
1  and  for  thcm.'l 


*  Part  1..  No.  -'7. 


t  Part  I..  No.  S6. 


i  Part  I..  Nr.  SO. 


ADAM  CAME  OUT  OF  AN  EUU. 


165 


The  Birth  of  Adam. 

4  There  was  a  grove  in  the  most  temperate  region  of  the 
4  Earth,  a  very  Paradise  in  Paradise.  In  its  midst  grew  a 
4  fruit  tree,  which  bare  a  small  egg,  in  which  as  in  a  jewel, 
4  Nature  concealed  herself  with  her  highest  powers  for  the 
1  initiament  of  the  most  consummate  Body.  This  fruit  tree 
4  was  hence  called  the  Tree  of  Life. 

4  This  little  egg  was  not  as  yet  fecundated,  only  Nature  had 
4  collected  into  it,  as  into  a  sacred  little  ark,  her  most  precious 
4  treasures,  and.  provided  it  with  such  noble  furniture,  as  a 
4  bride  prepares  for  her  bed  chamber. 

4  When  Nature  had  thus  in  every  respect  completed  her 
4  work  and  gathered  up  her  circumferences  into  this  egg  as  a 
1  centre,  then  the  Supreme  Mind  came  to  meet  her,  and  infused 
4  into  the  egg  a  Soul  by  means  of  concentrated  rays  of  the 
1  Sun  of  Life.'* 

At  once  developement  began,  and  all  the  plants  of  the  grove 
proffered  their  service  to  the  coming  man. 

1  The  branch  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  which  bore  the  precious 
1  eSSi  unfolded  into  a  soft  and  easy  nest,  covered  with  thin  bark 
4  and  leaves.  The  adjacent  trees  instilled  their  sap  into  the 
4  roots  of  the  honoured  tree,  rejoicing,  that  they  were  allowed 
4  to  be  so  useful.  The  Sun  dared  not  approach  with  his  hot 
4  beams  save  through  the  mitigation  of  a  circle  of  translucent 
4  apples.  The  air  breathed  with  gentlest  fear  among  the  leaves ; 
4  and  the  young  shoots  of  the  surrounding  trees  knit  themselves 
4  into  a  cradle  for  the  babe,  which  was  lined  with  cotton,  wafted 
4  from  the  cotton  trees  by  the  helpful  winds. 

4  Nor  was  Nature  alone  at  hand,  and  urgent  with  all  her 
4  aids ;  but  Heaven  also  was  favourable  with  its  presence.  Its 
4  inhabitants,  or  Spiritual  Minds,  were  let  down  for  this  gra- 
4  cious  purpose,  that  they  might  second  and  direct  the  offices 
4  of  Nature :  also,  that  they  might  drive  away  whatever  would 

*  Part  I.,  Nos.  32  and  33. 


166 


AN  A.NQEUC  DANCE  OF  JOT. 


"  infest  the  sacred  grove;  for  instantly,  when  any  fierce  animals 
1  leaped  its  fence,  they  were  struck  with  sudden  terror,  and  tied 
k  away  into  the  woods,  or  with  faltering  steps  dropped  on  their 
'  knees  ;  as  if  to  worship  their  prince  and  lord.    Pore  spiritual 

*  Essences,  by  virtue  of  the  power  which  issues  from  them, 

*  can  so  affect  and  astonish  minds  in  Nature,  that  they  forget 
1  themselves,  and  even  adopt  habits  contrary  to  the  habit  of 
'  their  life.* 

As  time  elapsed  the  egg-bearing  bough  declined  nearer 
and  nearer  the  cotton  cradle,  and  at  the  appointed  hour  the 
baby-man  cracked  his  shell,  and  begun  to  breathe  the  air. 

The  Spiritual  Minds  or  Essences,  (a  kind  of  Intellectual 
Gases,  which  at  this  time  was  Swedenborg's  idea  of  Angels,') 

*  unanimously  resolved,'  he  says,  1  to  institute  a  festival  in 

*  celebration  of  Adam's  birth-day,  the  last  of  Creation  and 
1  the  first  of  the  Human  Race.  Wherefore  they  devised  a 
1  new  sport  called  Paradisiacal,  never  before  sported  in  the 

*  Heavens;  but  not  by  dancing  such  as  terrestrial  nymphs 
1  pursue.  The  sport  consisted  of  revolutions  and  mutual  in- 
k  fluxes  in  circuits  and  spiral  windings,  like  so  many  labyrinths 

*  to  our  sight.  They  ran  up  from  a  circumference  to  a  centre 
4  in  such  a  wav,  that  every  one  felt  himself  to  be  the  very 
k  inmost  of  the  centre.  Nor  was  this  all.  Ravished  with 
'  delight  they  broke  out  from  the  centre  into  a  new  rotation. 
1  and  then  back  again  in  such  a  way,  that  they  no  longer 
k  emulated  what  is  perpetual,  but  what  is  infinite.  They  felt 
1  in  this  sport  not  as  if  they  were  many,  but  as  if  they  were 
1  one ;  and  the  delight  of  each  communicated,  and  every  one 
1  burned  with  the  joy  of  all.  This  action  and  their  ecstasy 
k  flooded  the  brain  of  the  Babe,  so  that  his  lungs  forgot  to 
k  breathe  in  consequence  of  the  festive  stupor  and  lovely 
1  swoon  of  the  spirits  in  the  fibres.  The  Babe  and  themselves 
k  they  presented  to  the  Supreme  Deity,  Who  hailed  them  with 


ADAM  SUCKING  AND  CRAWLING. 


167 


4  His  grace  and  favour.  Then  bursting  forth  under  the 
£  fervour  of  this  Divine  honour  they  again  unwound  them- 
1  selves,  and  twined  and  glided  into  one  another  in  marvellous 
4  fluxions.'* 

Naked  and  beautiful  as  a  god  the  Babe  reclined  on  his 
downy  couch  sucking  the  ends  of  branches  of  the  Tree  of  Life, 
which  nourished  him  with  milk ;  4  sometimes  lying  on  his  back 
4  whilst  the  milk  dropped  straight  into  his  open  mouth.'  When 
he  slept  his  little  hands  were  raised,  closely  folded,  towards 
Heaven.  By  and  bye  he  crept  out  of  his  bed,  and  laid  hold 
of  whatever  came  in  his  way ;  but  he  could  come  to  no  harm  ; 
for  4  Spiritual  Minds  stood  near  ready  to  provide  for  every 
4  movement  of  this  little  son  of  the  Supreme  Governor.'  He 
grasped  the  flowers,  whose  colours  pleased  his  eye,  and  their 
odours  his  nose ;  and  his  ear  awoke  to  the  voice  of  singing 
birds  ;  and  nothing  gratified  his  senses,  but  what  was  whole- 
some and  helpful  to  the  growth  of  his  Body  and  Mind. 

4  All  these  things  were  done  under  the  influence  of  the 
4  Supreme  Deity.  From  His  power  all  act.  He  is  all  in  all, 
4  the  one  Life ;  from  His  Life  we  live,  and  living,  act.'t 

The  Boy  could  not  walk,  4  but  crawled  about  as  a  reptile, 
1  which  his  Soul  observed  with  a  mixture  of  concern  and 
'  indignation,  and  used  all  her  endeavours  to  lift  him  and  set 
4  him  on  his  feet. 

4  Intent  on  this  purpose  no  means  were  wanting  ;  for  the 
4  Soul  from  the  centres  and  sanctuaries  of  all  the  Arts  and 
4  Sciences  conceives  her  operations,  and  subdues  the  things  of 
4  Nature  to  her  ends. 

4  To  get  the  Boy  to  walk  his  Soul  contrived  various,  but 
4  at  the  same  time  lovely,  tricks.  She  bent  his  eyes  on 
4  beautiful  fruits  hanging  aloft,  and  inspired  in  him  a  desire 
4  to  touch  them,  adding  also  strength  to  his  muscles  ;  and  in 
4  like  manner  she  filled  him  with  a  longing  to  eat  grapes, 


*  Part  I..  No.  42. 


t  Part  I.,  No.  43. 


168 


ADAM   IS  TAUGHT  TO  WALK. 


4  which  hung-  high  on  the  vines,  that  by  dinging  to  the 
4  branches  he  might  lift  himself  upwards. 

1  Celestial  Genii  also  added  their  divine  cunning  to  these 
k  incitements  of  the  Soul,  and  by  feigned  delights  sported 
4  with  and  circumvented  him.  At  one  time,  they  represented 
1  above  his  head  a  pendent  Paradise  wreathed  with  garlands 
k  and  nosegays ;  at  another,  they  led  him  to  think,  that  he 
4  saw  infants,  as  so  many  little  brothers,  winged  and  flying 
'  rapidly.    As  lie  Sprang  up  to  play  with  them,  they  retreated, 

*  and  then  the  Genii  made  him  imagine,  that  he  also  had  wings 
k  wherewith  to  fly  after  them. 

'  For  the  inhabitants  of  Heaven,  before  pure  eyes  and 
k  Minds  free  from  earthly  loves,  are  able  to  represent  anything, 
1  and  at  the  same  time  to  enkindle  in  those  Minds  any  ardour 
4  and  attention  they  please.* 

i  By  these  sportive  blandishments  and  delightful  fascina- 
'  dons,  our  infant  in  the  space  of  a  few  days  was  set  upon  his 

•  feet,  and  walked  erect  with  his  face  turned  upwards  to  the 
'  Starry  Heaven ;  nor  was  he  willing  to  let  it  down  again, 
1  except  when  he  wished  to  eat  for  the  sake  of  recruiting  his 
4  body.' | 

Thus  far  Swedenborg's  book  has  some  fascination  notwith- 
standing a  heavily  florid  style ;  but  having,  with  the  due 
enterprise  and  long  suffering  of  a  biographer,  gone  over  its 
subsequent  pages,  which  describe  the  education  of  Adam,  I  can 
advise  no  reader  bent  on  pleasure  to  adventure  across  its  dry 
and  sandy  flats. 

He  describes  Adam's  Mind  as  an  Olympus  in  the  Brain. 
In  its  highest  or  inmost  chambers  dwells  the  Sonl  ;  in  its 
middle  chambers  Intelligences  or  Wisdoms,  who  he  styles 
the  Sours  daughters  ;  and  in  its  lowest  chambers  Sciences  or 
Knowledges,  who  are  servants  to  the  gods  above. 

»  This  sentence  has  a  marked  importance  in  connection  with  Swedenborg 

himself. 

f  Part  I.  N"  44. 


adam's  education. 


169 


These  faculties  in  Adam's  head  he  sets  debating  in 
company  with  Angels  or  pure  Spiritual  Essences,  his  Soul 
exceeding  the  others  in  volubility ;  instructing  Adam  in  the 
blessedness,  which  attends  the  rigid  subordination  of  the  lower 
powers  to  the  higher ;  and  of  the  danger  of  the  Senses,  with 
the  help  of  the  servile  Sciences,  putting  their  rightful  mis- 
tresses, AVisdoms  and  Intelligences,  under  foot,  and  throwing 
the  whole  mental  Olympus  into  anarchy  and  darkness. 

For  instance  Adam  felt,  that  he  lived  of  himself  as  an 
independent  existence  ;  and  the  Sciences  in  his  Mind,  which 
were  the  mere  registers  of  his  sensations,  were  quite  ready 
to  attest,  that  his  feeli  ng  was  the  fact.  Here  however  Wisdom 
intervened  and  proved  to  him,  that  whilst  it  was  necessary 
and  inevitable,  that  he  should self-existent  and  independent, 
yet,  that  the  reality  was  the  exact  reverse  of  his  feeling ;  for 
he  might  be  aware,  that,  but  for  the  play  of  Xature  on  his 
Senses  he  coidd  never  have  attained  consciousness,  and  but  for 
the  instant  influx  and  presence  of  the  Deity  in  his  Soul,  he 
would  not  abide  in  life  for  a  moment.  To  harbour  then  the 
notion  of  his  independence  would  be  to  yield  himself  a  prey 
to  the  deepest  delusion. 

Swedenborg  thus  gives  us  an  idea  of  Man  as  a  Veil  of 
Ignorance  hanging  between  God  and  Xature.  His  Soid  is 
described  as  inhabited  by  God,  made  wise  with  His  wisdom 
and  knowing  all  things.  In  proportion  as  this  Veil  is  pierced 
and  God  and  Xature  meet,  Man  becomes  consciously  intelli- 
gent. Adam's  education  consisted  in  making  holes  through 
this  Veil  and  permitting  the  Soul  and  Xature  to  flow  together. 

The  second  part  of  the  1  De  Cultu  et  Amore  DeV  is  not 
always  found  boimd  up  with  the  first,  and  copies  of  it  are  rarer 
and  more  difficult  to  obtain.  There  seems  no  reason  for  its 
separate  publication,  as  it  is  merely  a  brief  continuation  of 
the  story,  describing  the  birth  of  Eve,  her  education,  and 
marriage  to  Adam. 


170 


ABOUT  BYE  AND  H  K  K  I'Md. 


There  was  a  grove  distant  some  furlongs  from  Adam's, 
and  its  perfect  duplicate.  One  evening  Adam  strolled  into 
this  grove,  and  night  coming  on  he  lay  down  to  sleep  under 
its  Tree  of  Life.  In  a  dream  a  beautiful  nymph  appeared  to 
him,  and  moved  by  passion  he  sought  to  fold  her  in  his  arms, 
when  like  a  light  cloud  she  glided  away.  1  In  attempting  to 
4  catch  her  he  so  irritated  the  parts  about  his  thorax,  that  one 
4  of  his  ribs  seemed  to  him  to  leap  out  of  its  place,  the  nerves 
4  being  so  strained  by  the  action  of  his  mind  and  the  blood  in 
4  the  breast  being  put  in  commotion  by  the  heart.  After  some 
1  effort  he  seemed  to  himself  to  catch  her,  and  covered  her  lips 
'  and  cheeks  with  kisses.  At  this  moment,  when  she  appeared 
4  more  beautiful  than  ever,  he  suddenly  awoke,  and  found,  to 
4  his  grief,  that  he  had  been  dreaming. 

1  He  did  not  know,  that  the  apple-tree  under  which  he 
4  rested  bore  the  egg  from  which  his  future  wife  was  to  be 
4  born,  and  that  it  was  her  picture  he  had  courted  so  eagerly 
4  in  his  sleep ;  that  the  branch  at  his  breast,  lying  in  his 
4  bosom,  was  what  he  had  embraced  in  his  arms ;  and  that 
4  the  very  egg  itself  was  what  he  had  pressed  with  his  lips 
4  and  his  kisses ;  and  in  so  doing  had  infused  into  it  a  living 
4  Soul  from  his  own.'* 

He  left  the  grove  sorrowing  for  the  beautiful  maid  he  had 
seen  and  lost,  and  quite  unconscious  of  the  happy  deed  he  had 
done. 

In  due  season  Eve  was  hatched,  and  was  watched  over  by 
Celestial  Essences  just  as  Adam  had  been  ;  and  by  them  she 
was  instructed  in  all  the  mysteries  of  Swedenborgian  meta- 
physics and  physiology  relating  to  the  Olympus  of  Soul, 
Wisdoms,  Intelligences  and  Knowledges,  the  cortical  and 
cineritious  substances  of  the  Brain,  the  Animal  Spirits, 
Nerves,  Veins,  Fibres,  Forms,  Vortices,  et  cetera,  to  whieh 
with  an  awful  audacity  our  author  assures  us,  4  Eve  listened 


THE  MEETING  OF  ADAM  AND  EVE. 


171 


4  with  rapturous  delight '  and  asked  for  more  in  sentences 
1  of  this  portentous  pattern — c  I  pray  you  instruct  me  by 
1  your  skilful  eloquence,  whether  or  not  Creation  descends 
'  from  the  centre  in  perpetual  spirals,  and  in  its  descent  ex- 
4  pands  itself  and  grows.'  Truly  poor  Eve,  at  that  rate  far 
excelled  any  of  her  daughters  in  a  London  drawing-room  in 
patience  and  politeness.  The  Celestial  Essences  make  answer 
in  corresponding  lingo,  which  Eve  with  unabated  courage  and 
hypocrisy  is  said  to  have  '  snatched  up  with  greedy  ear.' 

Finally,  we  come  to  her  meeting  with  Adam,  and  with 
a  deep  sense  of  relief  escape  from  the  weary  windiness  of  the 
Heavenly  Essences. 

One  day  the  Essences  opened  out  to  her  about  Adam 
telling  her,  "  He  is  not  far  off ;  we  see  him,  but  he  does  not 
"  see  us ;  he  is  looking  towards  thee,  so  turn  thy  head  aside, 
"  and  let  him  come  to  thee,  and  court  thee  with  humble 
"  entreaty.  Thou  art  now  to  be  the  partner  of  his  life  and 
u  bed ;  he  is  assigned  to  thee  by  Heaven  ;  this  is  the  day  of 
a  your  marriage,  and  the  hour  of  your  union  is  at  hand." 

*  Connubial  Essences  at  this  instant  drew  her  hair,  which 
'  hung  in  ringlets  round  her  neck,  through  a  golden  circlet  and 
c  fastened  it  in  a  knot ;  and  they  placed  a  crown  of  diamonds  on 
i  her  head  ;  and  adorned  her  as  a  bride  waiting  for  her  husband 
4  with  a  few  simple  ornaments  suited  to  her  radiant  beauty. 

c  Adam  had  long  been  trying  to  re-discover  the  grove 
1  where  he  had  experienced  his  ravishing  vision ;  and  his 
'  failures,  and  his  desire  for  the  beauteous  maid  began  to  cloud 
*  his  life  with  restlessness  and  care.  This  happy  day  in  pur- 
4  suing  his  search  he  spied  the  Angel  of  his  dream  in  the  very 
4  flesh  and  exclaimed,  "  I  see  clearly  that  she  is  mine,  for  she  is 
1  "  from  my  own  bosom,  and  from  my  own  life."  ' 

Eve,  ignorant  of  the  meaning  of  that  marriage,  of  which 
the  Essences  had  spoken,  caught  a  glimpse  of  Adam.  In- 
stantly a  blush  suffused  her  face,  and  her  life  sparkled  into  a 
strange  and  delicious  flame  of  love,  and  tinged  like  a  rose 


172 


ROMANCE  OB  REALITY  ? 


she  stood  a  naked  image  of  celestial  grace.  The  Essences 
beckoned  Adam  on  ;  they  touched,  embraced,  entered  into 
converse,  and  became  the  parents  of  all  living.* 

u  Of  course  Swedenborg  wrote  all  this  confessedly  as 
u  fiction,"  says  the  reader.  There  is  no  sign  that  he  did  ; 
nay,  my  own  conviction  is,  that  he  believed  every  word  of  it 
as  sincerely  as  he  ever  believed  anything.  We  have  noticed 
his  proneness  in  '  The  PrincipiaJ  1  The  Infinite  f  and  1  The 
4  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom  1  to  set  forth  his  fancies  in 
full  detail  as  certainties ;  and  {  The  Worship  and  Love  of  God ' 
is  only  an  ampler  development  of  the  same  speculative  prac- 
tice. Many  who  will  read  with  composure  and  admiration  his 
account  of  the  manufacture  of  the  Elements  from  Points  of 
Force,  and  of  Earth  from  Water,  will  start  appalled  at  the 
notion,  that  he  was  in  earnest  in  describing  the  creation  of 
Plants,  Insects,  Birds,  Beasts  and  Fishes,  and  above  all  of 
Adam  and  Eve ;  but  there  is  no  reason  why  the  Intuition, 
which  could  evolve  the  story  of  the  former  should  hesitate 
about  the  latter.  We  are  as  yet  on  the  verge  of  the  world  of 
wonders  drawn  from  the  depths  of  the  Swedenborgian  Soul.f 


*  Part  II.,  Nos.  109  and  110. 

f  In  dealing  with  the  theory  of  '  Hie  PrincipiaS  and  4  The  Worship  and 
'Love  of  God-  Canning  and  Frere's  exquisite  parody,  'The  Loves  of  the 
Triangles,'  written  in  ridieule  of  Dr.  Darwin's  1  Lores  of  the  Plants,'  has 
often  come  to  mind;  and  had  the  wits  read  Swedenborg  they  could  scarcely 
have  quizzed  him  in  some  particulars  more  happily. 

Darwin  considered,  that  Lines  were  generated  by  the  motion  of  Points, 
Planes  by  the  lateral  motion  of  Lines,  and  Solids  from  Planes  by  a  similar 
process,  and  that  in  Matter  so  produced  six  filaments  commenced  to  operate 
and  wrought  out  organized  Nature  :  hence  sing  the  satirists — 
1  But  chief,  thou  Nurse  of  the  Didactic  Muse, 
1  Divine  Nonsensia,  all  thy  soul  infuse  ; 
'  The  charms  of  Secants  and  of  Ttnujents  tell, 
1  How  Loves  and  Graces  in  an  Angle  dwell ; 
How  slow  progressive  Points  protrac  t  the  Lime, 
As  pendent  >]»iders  ipifl  the  filmy  twin*  : 


CANNING  AND  FRERE  ON  CREATION. 


173 


'  How  lengthened  Lines,  impetuous  sweeping  round, 

'  Spread  the  wide  Plane,  and  mark  its  circling  bound  ; 

'  How  Planes,  their  substance  with  their  motion  grown, 

'  Form  the  huge  Cube,  the  Cylinder,  the  Cone. 
'  We  may  therefore  conceive  the  whole  of  our  present  Universe  to  have 
'  been  originally  concentrated  in  a  single  Point ;  we  may  conceive  this 
1  primeval  Point,  or  punctum  saliens  of  the  Universe,  evolving  itself  by  its  own 
1  energies,  to  have  moved  forwards  in  a  straight  Line,  ad  infinitum,  till  it 
'  grew  tired ;  after  which  the  right  Line,  which  it  had  generated  would 
'  begin  to  put  itself  in  motion  in  a  lateral  direction,  describing  an  Area  of 
1  infinite  extent.  This  Area,  as  soon  as  it  became  conscious  of  its  own 
1  existence,  would  begin  to  ascend  or  descend,  according  as  its  specific  gravity 
1  might  determine  it,  forming  an  immense  solid  Space  filled  with  vacuum, 
'  and  capable  of  containing  the  present  existing  universe. 

'  Space  being  thus  obtained,  and  presenting  a  suitable  nidus  or  receptacle 
1  for  the  generation  of  chaotic  matter,  an  immense  deposit  of  it  would  be 
1  gradually  accumulated ;  after  which,  the  filament  of  fire  being  produced 
■  in  the  chaotic  mass  by  an  idiosyncrasy,  or  self-fonned  habit  analogous  to 
1  fermentation,  explosion  would  take  place ;  suns  would  be  shot  from  the 
'  central  chaos  ;  planets  from  suns ;  and  satellites  from  planets.  In  this  state 
1  of  things  the  filament  of  organization  would  begin  to  exert  itself  in  those 
4  independent  masses,  which  in  proportion  to  their  bulk  exposed  the  greatest 
'  surface  to  the  action  of  light  and  heat.  This  filament,  after  an  infinite 
'  series  of  ages,  would  begin  to  ramify,  and  its  viviparous  offspring  would 
1  diversify  their  forms  and  habits,  so  as  to  accommodate  themselves  to 
1  the  various  incunabula,  which  Nature  had  prepared  for  them.  L'pon  this 
1  view  of  things  it  seems  highly  probable,  that  the  first  effort  of  Nature 
1  terminated  in  the  production  of  Vegetables,  and  that  these  being  abandoned 
1  to  their  own  energies,  by  degrees  detached  themselves  from  the  surface  of 
'  the  earth,  and  supplied  themselves  with  wings  and  feet,  according  as  their 
1  different  propensities  determined  them  in  favour  of  aerial  and  terrestrial 
1  existence.  Others,  by  an  inherent  disposition  to  society  and  civilization, 
'  and  by  a  stronger  effort  of  volition,  would  become  Men.  These  in  time 
1  would  restrict  themselves  to  the  use  of  their  hind  feet;  their  tails  would 
'  gradually  rub  off  by  sitting  in  their  caves  or  huts  as  soon  as  they  arrived  at 
1  a  domesticated  state  ;  they  would  invent  language  and  the  use  of  fire,  with 
1  our  present  and  hitherto  imperfect  system  of  society.  In  the  meanwhile,  the 
1  Fuci  and  Algce,  with  the  Corallines  and  2Iadrepores,  would  transform  them  - 
'  selves  into  fish  and  would  gradually  populate  all  the  submarine  portion  of 
'  the  globe.' — The  Anti-Jacobin,  No.  23,  16  April,  1798. 


(    174  ) 


CHAPTER  XV  I. 


A  RETROSPECTIVE  REVIEW. 


We  have  now  gone  over  Swedenborg's  doings,  so  far  as  thev 
are  known,  up  to  1743-45,  or  his  55th  year,  and  ere  we  pass 
the  gate,  that  leads  to  another  country,  to  new  scenes  and  new 
pursuits,  let  us  pause  awhile,  and  take  a  glance  across  the 
ground  over  which  we  have  travelled. 

If  Swedenborg  had  died  at  this  juncture,  it  is  not  likely, 
that  his  name  would  have  beeu  known  beyond  the  catalogues 
of  libraries  where  some  of  his  volumes  chance  to  be  stored.  In 
his  own  day  his  writings  met  with  very  little  notice.  Last 
century,  to  an  extent  much  greater  than  in  this,  literary 
celebrity  was  dependent  upon  social  influence,  and  of  social  in- 
fluence Swedenborg  had  little  or  none.  When  he  had  written 
a  book  in  Stockholm  he  hastened  to  Amsterdam  or  Leipsic  to 
print  it.  He  presented  a  copy  to  a  learned  man  here,  and  a 
learned  man  there,  who  sent  him  a  letter  of  thanks  and  praises, 
and  then  probably  shelved  and  forgot  it.  This  done,  all  else 
he  left  to  the  enterprise  of  his  bookseller,  and  relapsed  into 
the  solitude  of  business,  study  and  travel.  Had  he  been  a 
professor  in  some  German  University,  and  lived  under  the 
stimulus  of  controversy  he  might  have  divided  philosophic 
empire  with  Christian  Wolf.  It  is  true,  he  was  bountifully 
aided  for  a  season  by  the  purse  and  patronage  of  the  Duke 
of  Brunswick,  but  to  keep  writings  like  his  before  the  ey<  of 
the  world  required  persistent  personal  activity,  and  the  service 
of  a  clique  of  admirers  as  claqueurs. 

The  practical  parts  of  his  1  Opera  Pltilnsnphica  H  Jfite- 


swedenborg's  literary  reception. 


175 


1  ralia '  were  not  altogether  neglected.  The  chapters  on  the 
conversion  of  iron  into  steel  were  reprinted  at  Strasbnrg  in 
1737  ;  and  the  treatise  on  iron  was  translated  into  French  by 
Bouchu,  and  published  at  Paris  in  1762  in  the  magnificent 
*  Description  des  Arts  et  Metiers/  and  Cramer  in  his  Elements 
4  of  the  Art  of  Assaying  J  owns,  that  Swedenborg  has  1  given  the 
i  best  accounts,  not  only  of  the  methods  and  newest  improve- 
1  ments  in  metallic  works  in  all  places  beyond  the  seas,  but 
4  also  of  those  in  England  and  the  American  colonies.' 

Very  pleasant  also  at  this  day  it  is  to  find  Dr.  Percy 
reviving  and  indicating  Swedenborg's  peculiar  claim  to  the 
attention  of  metallurgists.    He  writes — 

4  The  metallurgical  works  of  this  remarkable  man  seem  to 
c  be  very  imperfectly  known — at  least  they  are  rarely,  if  ever, 
c  quoted ;  and  yet  none  are,  in  my  judgment,  more  worthy  of 
'  the  attention  of  those  interested  in  the  history  of  metallurgy. 
1  They  form  two  tolerably  thick  folio  volumes,  copiously 
L  illustrated  witli  copper-plate  engravings,  and  magnificently 
'  printed.'* 

Swedenborg  was  imfortunate  in  writing  in  Latin.  Phi- 
losophy had  largely  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  professional 
students,  to  whom  of  old  it  had  been  an  exclusive  possession  ; 
and  it  was  cultivated  by  men  and  women,  who  either  did  not 
read  Latin,  or  read  it  under  difficulty  and  without  delight. 
Berkeley's  idealism,  Hartley's  vibrations,  Butler's  Analogy, 
Hume's  scepticism,  Keid's  common  sense,  Jonathan  Edwards's 
predestination,  Condillac's  sensationalism,  Kant's  '  Critique 
of  Pure  Reason1  were  all  introduced  to  the  world  about 
Swedenborg's  time ;  and  unquestionably,  they  all  owed  much 
of  their  acceptance  and  repute  to  their  promulgation  in  living 
tongues. 

Whilst  it  would  be  idle  to  speculate  upon  the  popularity 
which  Swedenborg  might  have  attained  had  he  endured  the 


*  'Metallurgij:  by  John  Percy,  M.D..  Part  I.,  p.  439.    London,  1861. 


176 


s\v EDEN* BuRG 'fl  F  A I U '  RE. 


critical  friction  of  London  or  Paris,  and  learned  how  to  address 
himself  to  the  tastes  and  understandings  of  their  literarv  and 
scientific  coteries,  we  may  yet  assert,  that  had  his  writing! 
as  they  exist  been  published  in  English  or  French  it  is  not 
likely,  that  they  would  have  had  any  very  great  succ  ess.  They 
embodied  no  marked,  nor  clear,  nor  new,  nor  extreme  doctrine. 
Berkeley.  Hartley,  and  Condillae  set  forth  principles,  which 
could  be  laid  hold  of.  or  at  least  gossiped  about  by  every- 
body ;  but  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  formulate  what 
►Swedenborg  taught.  Wolf  had  anticipated  him,  by  his  own 
admission,  in  much  that  was  peculiar  in  1  The  Priwipia  :'  i  The 
1  Infinite"  was  little  more  than  a  promise  and  a  guess;  and  he 
blighted  and  superseded  1  The  Economi/  of  the  Animal  Kingdom,' 
almost  as  soon  as  published,  by  his  Prologue  to  1  The  Animal 
Kingdom.' 

From  a  literary  point  of  view  these  writings  of  Sweden- 
borg merit  but  slight  praise.  They  are  not  wanting  in  passages, 
which  may  be  read  with  some  pleasure ;  but  as  a  whole  they 
are  diffuse,  iterative,  and  confused  to  an  oppressive  degree. 
There  is  frequently  no  more  reason  that  you  should  not  com- 
mence reading  from  the  middle  of  one  of  his  chapters  than 
that  you  should  from  the  beginning  ;  and  it  is  often  only  after 
much  wandering  over  his  pages,  and  bringing  their  distant 
parts  into  contact,  that  you  succeed  in  mastering  his  drift  and 
meaning.  I  should  suppose  he  wrote  rapidly  and  without 
revision ;  and  thus  he  punished  his  readers  for  his  own  ease. 
When  he  does  take  pains  and  attempts  eloquence,  his  stvle 
becomes  heavy  and  formal  and  his  imagery  lumbering.  He 
lacked,  in  short,  that  rare  art.  which  marshals  ideas  in  such 
fine  order,  that  they  inarch  from  the  mind  of  the  teacher  into 
the  easy  occupation  of  the  mind  of  the  taught. 

Forgotten  as  soon  as  published  Swedenborg's  writings 
anterior  to  174o  suffered  resurrection  in  English  in  1845. 
In  that  vear  1  The  Swedenborg  Association  '  was  formed  in 
London  for  their  revival.     Translations  of  his  several  works 


ATTEMPTED  REVIVAL  OF  SWEDENBORG. 


177 


were  made  under  the  reverent  and  scholarly  editorship  of 
Dr.  Wilkinson,  the  Rev.  Augustus  Clissold,  and  Mr.  Strutt. 
Nothing  was  left  undone  to  give  them  a  fair  chance  of  life  ; 
but  the  event  proved,  that  they  had  been  raised  from  the 
grave  to  endure  the  pain  of  a  second  death.  The  editions  of 
a  thousand  copies  after  nearly  twenty  years  of  advertising 
remain  unexhausted.  The  fervour  of  the  Associates  soon 
died  out  as  the  public  remained  deaf  to  all  their  cries  for 
attention.  Purchasers  tried  to  read  the  glorified  volumes,  but, 
making  little  progress  in  their  tough  and  dry  substance,  placed 
them  in  the  book-case  to  await  that  more  convenient  season, 
which  seldom  comes  to  books  once  tasted  and  set  aside.  Beyond 
the  translators,  I  question  whether  more  than  a  dozen  people  ever 
struggled  through  Mr.  Clissold's  edition  of  £  The  Principia'  or 
Dr.  Wilkinson's  of  1  The  Animal  Kingdom.''  Amongst  many 
ready  to  swear  to  their  supreme  excellence,  I  have  searched 
in  vain  to  find  more  than  two  or  three,  who,  on  pressure, 
could  own  to  any  intimate  familiarity  with  their  contents. 

In  speaking  in  this  strain  of  Swedenborg's  writings, 
previous  to  1745,  I  am  aware,  that  I  am  running  counter  to 
some  opinions  of  which  Mr.  Emerson  has  been  the  popular 
exponent ;  and  perhaps  I  cannot  deal  more  fairly  with  my 
reader  than  by  quoting  some  of  his  statements.* 

L  Swedenborg,'  says  he,  c  printed  these  scientific  works  in 
4  the  ten  years  from  1734  to  1744,  and  they  remained  from 
c  that  time  neglected  :  and  now,  after  their  century  is  complete, 
1  he  has  at  last  found  a  pupil  in  Dr.  Wilkinson,  a  philosophic 
i  critic,  with  a  co-equal  vigour  of  understanding  and  imagina- 
i  tion  comparable  only  to  Lord  Bacon's,  who  has  produced  his 
i  Master's  buried  books  to  the  day,  and  transferred  them,  with 
4  every  advantage,  from  their  forgotten  Latin  into  English,  to 

*  From  his  Lecture  on  1  /Swedenborg,  the  Mystic,'  which  lie  delivered  in 
various  towns  in  this  country  in  1847.  It  is  printed,  in  his  volume  entitled 
*  Represent<(tirr  Men,'  a  widely  circulated  hook. 


178 


EMERSON  o\  8WEDENB0BG. 


4  go  round  the  world  in  our  commercial  and  conquering 
1  tongue.  This  startling  re-appearance  of  Swedenborg,  after 
4  a  hundred  years,  in  his  pupil,  is  not  the  least  remarkable 
4  fact  in  his  history.  Aided,  it  is  said,  by  the  munificence  of 
4  Mr.  Clissold,  and  also  by  his  literary  skill,  this  piece  of 
1  poetic  justice  is  done.  -The  admirable  preliminary  discourses 
1  with  which  Dr.  Wilkinson  has  enriched  these  volumes,  throw 
1  all  the  contemporary  Philosophy  of  England  into  the  shade, 
4  and  leave  me  nothing  to  say  on  their  proper  grounds. 

4  As  happens  in  great  men,  Swedenborg  seemed  by  the 
4  variety  and  amount  of  his  powers,  to  be  a  composition  of 
4  several  persons, — like  the  giant  fruits,  which  are  matured  in 
4  gardens  by  the  union  of  four  or  five  single  blossoms.  His 
4  frame  is  on  a  large  scale,  and  possesses  the  advantages  of  size. 

4  His  youth  and  training  could  not  fail  to  be  extraordinary. 
4  Such  a  boy  could  not  whistle  or  dance,  but  goes  grubbing 
4  into  mines  and  mountains,  prying  into  Chemistry  and  Optics, 
4  Physiology,  Mathematics  and  Astronomy,  to  find  images  fit 
4  for  the  measure  of  his  versatile  and  capacious  brain.  He  was 
4  a  scholar  from  a  child. 

4  The  genius,  which  was  to  penetrate  the  Science  of  the 
4  Age  with  a  far  more  subtle  Science ;  to  pass  the  bounds  of 
4  space  and  time ;  venture  into  the  dim  Spirit-Realm,  and 
4  attempt  to  establish  a  new  Religion  in  the  World, — began 
4  its  letters  in  quarries  and  forges,  in  the  smelting-pot  and 
4  crucible,  in  ship-yards  and  dissecting-rooms. 

4  No  one  man  is,  perhaps,  able  to  judge  of  the  merits  of  his 
4  works  on  so  many  subjects.  One  is  glad  to  Learn  that  his 
4  books  on  Mines  and  Metals  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
4  those,  who  understand  these  matters.  It  seems,  that  he  anti- 
4  cipated  much  Science  of  the  nineteenth  century ;  anticipated, 
4  in  Astronomy,  the  discovery  of  the  seventh  Planet,* — but, 


•  This  wo  have  already  shrwn  t«>  he  a  ini>tak<v 


EMERSON  ON  SWEDENBORG-, 


179 


{  unhappily,  not  also  of  the  eighth*  anticipated  the  views  of 
i  modern  Astronomy  in  regard  to  the  generation  of  Earths  by 
i  the  Sun ;  in  Magnetism,  some  important  experiments  and 
i  conclusions  of  later  students ;  in  Chemistry,  the  Atomic 
'  Theory ;  in  Anatomy,  the  discoveries  of  Schlichting,  Munro, 

*  and  Wilson ;  and  first  demonstrated  the  office  of  the  Lungs.* 

*  A  colossal  Soul,  he  lies  abroad  on  his  times,  uncompre- 
c  hended  by  them,  and  requires  a  long  focal  distance  to  be 
1  seen ;  suggests,  as  Aristotle,  Bacon,  Selden,  Humboldt,  that 
c  a  certain  vastness  of  learning,  or  quasi  omnipresence  of  the 

1  Human  Soul  in  Nature  is  possible  One  of  the  masto- 

1  dons  of  literature,  he  is  not  to  be  measured  by  whole  colleges 
4  of  ordinary  scholars.  His  stalwart  presence  would  flutter 
1  the  gowns  of  a  university.  Our  books  are  false  by  being 
4  fragmentary ;  their  sentences  are  bon  mots,  and  not  parts 

*  of  natural  discourse ;  or  childish  expressions  of  surprise  or 

*  pleasure  in  Nature.  But  Swedenborg  is  systematic,  and 
'  respective  of  the  world  in  every  sentence :  all  the  means  are 
1  orderly  given ;  his  faculties  work  with  astronomic  punctuality ; 

*  and  his  admirable  writing  is  pure  from  all  pertness  or  egotism. 

'  Malpighi's  maxim,  that  u  Nature  exists  entire  in  leasts," 
1  is  Swedenborg's  favourite  thought.  This  fruitful  idea  fur- 
L  nishes  a  key  to  every  secret.  What  was  too  small  for  the 
-  eye  to  detect  was  read  by  the  aggregates ;  what  was  too 
•large  by  the  units.  There  is  no  end  to  the  application  of 
1  the  thought. 

•  The  doctrine  is  a  very  ancient  one.  Hippocrates  taught, 
i  that  the  brain  was  a  gland ;  Leucippus,  that  the  atom  may 

*  be  known  by  the  mass ;  and  Plato,  that  the  macrocosm  may 

*  be  seen  in  the  microcosm. 

1  Thus  was  he  apt  for  cosmology,  for  size  was  of  no  account 
'  to  him.    In  the  magnetism  around  an  atom  of  iron,  he  saw 


*  For  most  of  these  assertions  I  have  been  unable  to  discover  even  a 
shadow  of  proof. 

N  1 


180 


KING8LBT  ON  SWEDENBORG. 


4  the  power,  which  sends  Sun  and  Planets  spinning  in  their 

4  courses. 

'The  ''Economy  vf  the  Animal  Kingdom'  is  one  of  those 
1  books,  which  by  the  sustained  dignity  <>f  thinking  is  an 
4  honour  to  the  human  race.  He  had  studied  spars  and  metals 
4  to  some  purpose.  His  varied  and  solid  knowledge  makes  his 
'  style  lustrous  with  points  and  shooting  spicula  of  thought, 
1  and  resembling  one  of  those  winter  mornings  when  the  air 
4  sparkles  with  crystals. 

1  The  1  Animal  Kingdom,'  is  a  book  of  wonderful  merits. 
4  It  was  written  with  the  highest  end — to  put  Science  and  the 
4  Soul,  long  estranged  from  each  other,  at  one  again.  It  was 
k  an  Anatomist's  account  of  the  Human  Body  in  the  highest 
'  style  of  poetry.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  bold  and  brilliant 
1  treatment  of  a  subject,  usually  so  dry  and  repulsive.' 

The  ascription  to  Swedenborg  of  various  scientific  discov- 
eries has  grown  somewhat  common,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted, 
that  Mr.  Emerson,  instead  of  giving  the  notion  currency  had 
met  it  with  denial.  Mr.  Kingsley  affords  a  striking  instance 
of  the  facility  with  which  popular  writers  receive,  enlarge  and 
propagate  a  fiction  of  this  kind  once  set  afloat.  In  a  review 
of  Vaughan's  1  Hours  with  the  Mystics,*  he  remarks — 

4  The  world  only  knows  Swedenborg  as  a  dreaming  false 
4  prophet,  forgetting  that  even  if  he  was  that,  he  was  also  a 
4  sound  and  severe  scientific  labourer  to  whom  our  modern 
4 physical  science  is  most  deeply  indebted.' 

Now  if  Swedenborg  is  to  be  protected  from  unjust  censure 
he  must  likewise  be  saved  from  indiscreet  praise.  The  daw, 
which  decked  itself  in  peacock's  feathers  had  its  own  plucked 
out  along  with  the  peacock's ;  and  untrue  eulogy  is  certain  to 
provoke  untrue  depreciation.  That 4  our  modem  physical  science 

•  In  'Fraser's  Magazine'  for  September,  1850.  Profosor  Kingsley  has 
since  reprinted  the  article,  including  this  passage,  in  his  volumes  of  collected 

'  Min-eUanies.' 


SWEDENBORG  A  THEORIST. 


181 


1  is  most  deeply  indebted  to  Swedenborg'  is  an  assertion,  for 
which  there  is  not  a  tittle  of  evidence  ;  and  it  is  surprising,  that 
a  Cambridge  Professor  should  hazard  so  wild  an  assertion. 
Swedenborg's  scientific  works  fell  as  dead  from  the  press  last 
century  as  they  did  at  their  attempted  revival  in  this.  Whether 
the  pages  of  1  The  Prineipia'  and  c  The  Animal  Kingdom'' 
may  not  harbour  many  a  hint,  which  like  pollen  falling  on  the 
duly  prepared  scientific  mind  might  issue  in  precious  fruit,  I 
cannot  say  ;  but  that  we  are  without  record  of  any  scientific 
fruit,  great  or  small,  which  derives  its  parentage  from  Sweden- 
borg may  be  safely  affirmed. 

Swedenborg  was  not  a  direct  scientific  observer ;  but  a 
scientific  speculator ;  he  did  not  experiment  much,  but  reasoned 
on  the  experiments  of  others.  His  complaint  indeed  was,  that 
mere  observation  had  advanced  far  ahead  of  doctrine,  and,  that 
men  of  science  had  lost  themselves  in  a  maze  of  miscellaneous 
and  unconnected  facts.  His  constant  purpose  was,  to  reduce 
their  chaos  of  knowledge  to  wisdom,  and  to  evolve  therefrom 
some  doctrine,  which  might  be  of  comfort  and  use  to  mankind. 
Swedenborg  is  therefore  to  be  thought  of,  and  estimated  as  a 
Theorist ;  and,  save  as  a  Theorist,  he  shows  no  claim  whatever 
to  distinction.  It  woidd  be  a  tedious,  and  too  surely  an  unread- 
able paper,  which  should  discuss  Swedenborg's  theories  and 
shew  wherein  he  agreed  with,  differed  from,  and  excelled  the 
Philosophers  of  his  day,  how  far  his  various  notions  seem  to  us 
soimd  and  unsound,  and  how  far  at  accord  and  discord  with 
his  own  later  views.  For  ourselves  we  confess,  that  our 
interest  in  these  books  of  his  is  wholly  biographic,  and,  that 
did  we  not  care  for  Swedenborg,  nothing  could  have  tempted 
us  into  their  depths.  AYith  few  and  meagre  details  of  his  life 
thus  far,  we  track  his  every  sentence  for  some  knowledge  of 
the  man,  and  are  thankful  for  the  slightest  hints,  which  help 
us  to  realize  his  character. 

Reticent  and  impersonal  are  these  writings ;  for  reticent  and 
cautious  was  Swedenborg.    He  wanted  none  of  his  father's 


182 


SWEDENBORG  PECULIARLY  PRUDENT. 


assurance;  but  bred  in  a  better  school  his  tongue  did  not  wag 
so  freely,  and  he  knew  how  to  keep  himself  and  his  affairs 
decently  in  the  back-ground.  lie  was  clearly  a  man  self- 
possessed,  prudent,  wary.  He  would  not  speak  readily  ;  but 
when  silence  was  once  broken,  copiously,  slowly  and  impres- 
sively. A  slight  impediment  in  his  speech  would  be  a  secondary 
reason  for  deliberate  utterance. 

A  good  business  man,  a  punctual,  orderly  and  careful 
Assessor,  he  without  doubt  was.  He  understood  mining  and 
smelting  thoroughly,  and  in  all  his  writings  and  manuscripts 
we  observe  the  signs  of  a  practised  clerkly  hand.  In  the 
matter  of  money  he  was  well  off  by  inheritance  more  than  by 
office  ;  and  on  him  Polonius's  counsel — 

1  Neither  a  borrower,  nor  a  lender  be  ; 

'  For  loan  oft  loses  both  itself  and  friend, 

'  And  borrowing  dulls  the  edge  of  husbandry' — 

would  be  wasted,  as  advice  to  Swedenborg  to  be  Swedenborg. 
Jn  all  his  concerns  we  have  a  sense  of  shrewdness  and  thrift ; 
not  of  parsimony,  but  of  a  wise  economy,  which  wasted  nothing, 
and  spared  nothing.  His  habits  were  simple  and  orderly,  and 
of  any  extravagance  in  speech  or  conduct  we  may  safely  con- 
jecture he  was  uniformly  guiltless.  He  confesses,  as  we  shall 
shortly  see,  his  passion  for  women  ;  but  that  too,  we  must 
believe,  was  subordinate  to  his  prudence. 

Of  wit  and  humour  we  nowhere  find  in  him  any  trace.  No 
jest  and  no  playfulness  ever  enliven  his  pages.  Of  poetic 
imagination  he  is  equally  destitute.  Perhaps  his  many 
theories  culminating  in  his  '  Worship  and  Love  of  God''  may 
be  quoted  in  disproof;  but  surely  ineffectually;  for,  granting 
that  Nature  had  a  beginning,  In  what  more  prosaic  manner 
could  that  beginning  be  conceived  than  in  his  description  ? 
He  had  unquestionably  great  constructive  power,  but  it  was 
the  power  of  the  mechanist,  and  not  of  the  poet  or  artist. 
Again,  we  find  in  him  no  vehemence,  anger,  nor  hatred;  no 
sarcasm,   contempt,  nor  t'rett'ulne-s.      He  hag  «»t"  course  his 


swedenbobg's  love  of  truth. 


183 


Ukes  and  dislikes,  or  rather  his  assents  and  dissents,  but  they 
are  all  manifested  in  a  placid  and  passionless  style.  Of  envy 
he  appears  to  have  been  utterly  free  ;  a  malignant  or  a  flippant 
sentence  we  shall  hi  vain  look  for  through  all  his  books.  If 
he  desired  fame  he  never  left  the  path  of  good  sense  to  look 
for  it ;  and  of  any  eccentricity,  or  any  clap-trap  for  the  sake  of 
attention  or  admiration  he  was  simply  incapable.  A  man 
thus  guarded  and  correct,  with  a  small  heart  under  the 
government  of  a  large  head,  may  command  respect  wherever 
he  moves ;  but  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  true  human  fellowship 
he  can  never  feel.  It  is  therefore  without  surprise,  that 
I  discover  no  friendships  in  Swedenborg's  life.  His  most 
intimate  intercourse  appears  to  have  been  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Archbishop  Benzelius,  and  that  never  went  deeper  than 
a  mild  intellectual  regard. 

Unloved  in  his  lifetime  it  would  be  as  hopeless  as  it  would 
be  insincere  in  me  to  try  to  conjure  up  any  sentimental  affection 
for  him  a  century  after  his  death.  My  admiration  of  Sweden- 
borg  is  wholly  intellectual.  He  seems  to  me  one  of  the  finest 
specimens  of  the  Achromatic  Mind,  working  through  perceptive 
faculties  of  singular  size  and  clearness,  that  biography  reveals. 
To  use  one  of  his  own  phrases,  the  very  root  of  his  being  was 
a  Love  of  Truth.  Truth,  for  its  own  sake,  he  sought  through 
all  his  years  with  a  placid  deep-flowing  and  irresistible 
persistency.  The  desire  for  fame,  or  gain,  or  vengeance  has 
provoked  many  a  head  into  brilliant  action ;  but  in  Swedenborg 
such  passions  were  either  weak  or  dormant.  His  intellectual 
powers  were  set  in  motion  by  the  gentle  fire  of  that  Love, 
whose  single  joy  is  the  knowledge  of  the  Truth. 

From  his  cradle  he  was  a  seeker,  c  which  sect,'  says  Oliver 
Cromwell,  'is  next  best  to  that  of  a  finder.'  His  childhood 
was  full  of  queries  as  to  what  were  the  ties  between  God 
and  Man,  but  school  and  college  turned  his  eyes  out  on 
Nature,  and  left  not  an  inkling  of  the  hidden  pietist  and 
theologian.     He  turned  his  whole  energies  on  mathematics, 


1S4 


ins  STYLE  OF  WORK. 


mechanics,  chemistry,  geology,  metallurgy,  magnetism,  as- 
tronomy, and  a  thousand  devices  and  speculations  connected 
therewith.  This  lasted  until  his  forty-fifth  year,  when 
contact  with  Philosopher  Wolf  set  him  dreaming  about  the 
Infinite,  and  about  the  Human  Soul.  Dreary  Wolf  and  his 
school  were  content  to  speculate  on  the  Soul  as  *  the  inmost 
4  and  subtilest  part  of  the  Body  but  if  it  be  so,  said  the  more 
practical  Swedenborg,  Let  me  search  it  out,  and  let  me 
demonstrate  it  to  the  very  senses.  From  that  time,  1  734,  he 
gave  himself  no  rest  for  eleven  years,  to  1 745,  in  a  chase  after 
the  Soul,  and  though  his  quest  was  in  its  end  necessarily 
bootless,  vast  was  the  knowledge  gained  in  the  course  of  the  wild 
adventure.  He  read  himself  up  in  Anatomy  with  a  vigour, 
thoroughness  and  intelligence,  of  which  his  books  and  manu- 
scripts are  the  amazing  proofs;  and  these  records  of  eleven  years 
of  arduous  scholarship,  commenced  and  earned  on  in  middle 
life,  better  perhaps  than  any  other  of  his  performances  manifest 
to  a  discerning  eye,  the  easy  and  gigantic  grasp  of  his 
imperial  intellect. 

In  Swedenborg's  works  we  do  not  find  delicacy  but  power, 
not  finish  but  size.  We  behold  in  him  a  Titan  and  no  Apollo. 
All  that  he  did  was  large,  rough,  and  full  of  gaps.  Not  any 
of  his  doctrines  are  rounded  into  completeness,  or  fortified  so 
as  to  answer,  or  resist  the  aggression  of  ordinary  questions.  I 
do  not  sav,  that  many  of  his  positions  may  not  be  held  and 
defended ;  but  if  they  are,  it  must  be  with  the  aid  of  lines 
supplementarv  to  his  own.  The  fact  is,  that  the  truths  he  saw 
he  was  as  unable  to  set  forth  in  fair  logical,  as  in  fair  rhetorical 
trim.  He  tumbled  out  his  ideas  instead  of  setting  them  out; 
or  more  correctlv,  he  tried  to  set  them  out,  but  with  a  success 
little  greater  than  if  he  had  tumbled  them.  Something  of 
this  disorder  and  incompleteness  may  be  charged  against  his 
self-satisfaction  and  his  solitary  life.  He  was  content  to  test 
his  work  by  hifl  own  eve  alone,  and  neither  sought  nor  cared 
to  have  the  verdict  ot"  others. 


LABOUR  AND  TIME  AND  PATIENCE. 


185 


His  years  thus  far  show  a  giant's  labour,  but  done  in  a 
giant's  time  and  with  a  giant's  composure.  There  was  nothing 
of  precocity,  fever,  or  haste  in  any  of  his  doings.  Like  the 
oak,  if  he  was  a  giant  he  grew  slowly.  He  had  done  little  up 
to  1722,  his  34th  year,  beyond  pamphleteering,  in  which  he 
aired  a  few  of  his  more  ambitious  devices  and  speculations. 
From  that  date  he  lay  quiet  for  eleven  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  he  broke,  and  amply  accounted  for  his  long  silence,  in 
the  three  folios  of  the  1  Opera  Philosophica  et  M'neralt2.y 
After  that  he  again  lay  quiet  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  he  commenced  to  put  forth  his  studies  on  the  1  Animal 
Kingdom.''  These  were  indeed  heavy  works,  but  we  see  they 
were  executed  in  ample  and  correspondent  time. 

Although  none  of  these  writings  may  have  any  message  or 
peculiar  interest  for  us,  yet  whoever  studies  them  in  the  series 
of  their  production  cannot  fail  to  observe  a  mind  growing 
slowly  and  surely  and  winning  increase  of  strength  and  insight 
year  by  year  whilst  working  inwards  from  Stones  and  Iron 
through  Flesh  and  Blood  to  Soul  and  Spirit.  I  have 
heard  them  called  with  some  pertinence  Swedenborg's  copy- 
books. As  such  they  evidence  an  industrious  and  valiant  scholar, 
who  glorified  himself  in  no  achievement,  but  ever  used  the  last 
won  as  a  stepping  stone  to  something  higher.  Xo  applause,  no 
difficulty  overcome  ever  tempted  him  into  the  delusion,  that  he 
had  attained  final  excellence.  He  sought  a  settlement  on  the 
rock  of  Truth,  and  on  nothing  else  could  he  long  rest.  Often 
in  sight  of  a  mere  fog-island  he  thought  he  discerned  a  place 
of  rest ;  more  than  once  he  commenced  to  build  on  the  sand ; 
but  he  was  ever  first  to  discover  his  mistake  and  arise  and 
renew  his  quest  for  an  everlasting  foundation.  Of  this  single- 
heartedness  there  is  no  finer  instance  than  the  courage  with 
which  he  discredited  and  set  aside  1  the  anguish  and  the  sweat 
1  of  years  '  in  the  case  of  his  '  Economy  of  the  Animal  King- 
L  dom '  and  commenced  his  task  anew  in  the  £  Animal  King- 
'  domS    The  very  simplicity  and  unconsciousness  with  which 


186 


THE  SPIRITUAL  SPRINGTIME. 


the  deed  was  done  has  hidden  its  grandeur  from  those  w  ho 
ought  have  noticed  it,  had  it  been  effected  with  w  ail  of  trumpets, 
or  vainglorious  miserere*. 

In  these  days  when  Swedenborg  w  as  writing  the  *  Aninwl 
Kingdom^  it  is  evident,  that  his  mind  was  entering  into  its 
summer  time.  There  is  a  richness  and  a  mystic  promise 
in  many  of  his  sentences,  which  we  take  for  sure  signs,  that 
the  beams  of  the  Heavenly  Sun  had  begun  to  strike  through 
the  air  of  his  Soul,  and  that  the  rewards  of  the  patient  culture 
of  more  than  half  a  century  were  nigh.  Sometimes  hid  in  a 
note,  as  it  were  under  leaves,  we  come  upon  some  choice 
thoughts,  which  remind  us  more  of  the  grapes  of  Eshcol  than 
the  herbs  and  the  onions  of  Egypt. 

Arrested  in  the  midst  of  his  studies  of  the  Human  Body 
Swedenborg  arose  to  other  duties,  and  left  the  writings  of  his 
early  and  middle  life  in  the  dust  of  forgctfulness,  never  more 
quoting,  or  alluding  to  them.  So  complete  was  his  silence, 
that  some  who  were  the  acquaintances  of  his  old  age  appear 
to  have  been  ignorant,  that  he  was  ever  anything  but  a 
theological  author. 

As  Swedenborg's  after-career  was  wholly  that  of  a 
Spiritualist,  questions  naturally  arise  as  to  what  were  his 
religious  opinions  previous  to  the  time  of  change. 

We  have  read  his  own  account  of  his  pious  childhood ; 
how  his  earliest  thoughts  wTere  turned  to  things  unseen  and 
eternal ;  how  he  was  reared  in  a  household  w  here  faith  in 
God  and  Spirits  ran  out  into  ordinary  talk  and  experience ; 
and  where  father  and  mother  regarded  him  as  a  wondrous 
child,  and  vowed,  that  the  very  Angels  spoke  through  his 
mouth.  This  state  he  describes  as  extending  to  his  twelfth 
year,  but  there  he  stops  and  leaves  us  to  our  own  conjectiires. 
W  hilst  there  is  not  an  irreverent  word  in  any  of  his  books  or 
letters,  yet  from  their  general  tone  I  conclude,  that  his  College 


EXTENT  OF  SWEDENBORU'S  PlE'i  V. 


187 


life  dissipated  the  serious  and  heavenly  spirit  of  his  childhood, 
and  that  on  through  his  manhood  he  led  an  ordinary,  but 
not  a  religious  life.  On  him  however  the  malign  breath  of 
scepticism  seems  never  to  have  passed.  His  healthy  mind 
was  as  far  from  questioning  the  Divine  Being  and  Govern- 
ment as  his  lungs  the  air  or  his  eyes  the  sunshine.  In  an  age 
when  contempt,  or  at  least  indifference  or  doubt  about  religion, 
was  deemed  a  grace  and  mark  of  the  Philosopher,  his  belief 
in  God  and  Revelation  was  ever  frankly  and  heartily  confessed. 

*  Without  the  utmost  devotion  to  the  Supreme  Being  no  one,' 
he  testified,  1  can  become  a  complete  and  truly  learned  Philo- 
1  sopher ;  for  true  Philosophy  and  contempt  of  the  Deity 
1  are  opposites.7*  Indeed  the  passages  in  which  he  rises 
into  any  tender  eloquence  are  those  in  which  he  utters  his 
sense  of  the  entire  dependence  of  Creation  on  the  Divine 
Life. 

We  have  seen  too,  that  he  undertook  his  long  and  arduous 
search  for  the  Soul  for  the  conversion  of  Unbelievers  ;  L  for 
4  those,  who  compare  themselves  to  brutes,  and  think,  that  they 
4  shall  die  as  brutes,  and  thus  rush  fearlessly  into  wickedness.' 
He  advised  those,  who  were  gifted  with  Divine  Faith  to  abstain 
from  his  books,  as  for  them  useless,  and  admitted  4  that  who- 
'  ever  believed  Revelation  implicitly,  without  consulting  the 
'  Intellect,  was  the  happiest  of  mortals,  and  the  nearest  to 

*  Heaven. 'f 

An  aim  and  expressions  like  these  have  been  construed 
into  proofs,  that  Swedenborg  through  his  whole  life  was  1  a 
i  religious  man,'  but  with  obvious  inefficiency.  There  is  no 
sign,  that  in  his  manhood  religion  was  anything  deeper  with 
him  than  an  intellectual  conviction.  Lord  Brougham  has 
written  eloquently  on  Natural  Theology,  but  we  should  smile 
at  any  one,  who  should  therefore  attempt  to  register  Brougham 
among  the  Saints.     So  likewise,  futile  is  the  endeavour  to 


*  '  Principia,'1  in  1734.  f  %  Begnum  Animate  J  in  1744. 


188  THEOLOGY  NOT  CULTIVATED  IN  SWEDEN. 


diffuse  over  Swedenborg  an  odour  of  sanctitv,  because  in  his 
speculations  he  had  the  good  sense  to  take  the  theistic  side. 

It  is  very  clear,  that  he  was  not  a  technical  theologian. 
Nothing  is  more  noticeable  than  the  slight  influence  orthodox 
divinity  had  on  the  operations  of  his  mind.  We  have  seen 
how  in  1  The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kiia/dom^  he  denied  the 
Resurrection  of  the  Body,  and  how  in  1  The  Principle?  and 
1  The  Worship  and  Love  of  God''  he  wrote  as  if  ignorant  of 
Moses  and  the  common  belief  that  Creation  was  a  work  begun 
and  ended  in  the  space  of  six  days.  It  may  appear  incredible, 
but  I  apprehend,  that  he  pursued  his  speculations  in  complete 
unconsciousness,  that  if  he  had  been  tried  in  any  Catholic 
or  Protestant  court  he  would  have  been  adjudged  a  heretic. 
Though  a  Bishop's  son  he  had  never  been  correctly  grounded 
in  the  Lutheran  faith,  and  I  am  afraid,  that  if  a  committee  of 
sound  divines  had  sat  as  inquisitors  into  his  father's  creed,  thev 
would  have  been  compelled  to  render  a  dismal  report.  Few 
have  any  idea  of  the  depth  of  stupor  in  which  in  those  times 
the  Swedish  Church  lay  sunk.  Its  priesthood  had  become  a 
mere  corporation  for  reading  so  many  prayers  for  so  much 
money,  and  they  had  all  the  horror  of  worldliness  and  sloth  at 
any  pious  activity.  Hence  their  jealousy  of  Bishop  Sved- 
berg,  who  would  keep  stirring,  and  waking  sleeping  dogs  with 
the  most  irritating  obstinacy.  As  a  consequence,  theology, 
in  anv  living  sense,  was  uncultivated,  and  the  laity  were  left 
in  as  profound  ignorance  of  their  Bibles  as  if  they  had  been 
Papists.  Gentlemen  disdained  the  least  taint  of  religion,  and 
except  on  formal  occasions,  would  have  been  ashamed  to 
be  caught  church-going.  Such  being  the  state  of  things 
in  civilized  Sweden*  we  need  scarcely  feel  surprised,  that 
Swedenborg  should  speculate  on  Creation  without  any  sense 


*  We  may  add,  that  matters  at  this  day  in  Stockholm  are  very  little 
changed  from  what  they  were  then.  The  Baptists  are  valiantly  struggling 
through  many  difficulties  and  discouragements  to  revive  in  their  own  way, 
the  frustrated  work  of  the  Pietists  in  Bishop  Svedberg's  time. 


SWEDENBORG  NO  THEOLOGIAN. 


189 


of  the  danger,  which  a  Philosopher  in  England  would  have 
felt.  Indeed,  the  goodwill  he  invariably  displays  to  Biblical 
Revelation  leaves  us  without  doubt,  that  had  he  been  aware 
of  his  danger  he  would  have  taken  pains  to  explain  or  defend 
himself. 

That  Swedenborg,  however,  up  to  this  period,  was  innocent 
of  any  very  heavy  theological  infliction  he  does  not  leave  to 
our  surmise.  In  1767,  Dr.  Beyer  wrote  to  him  a  letter  asking 
his  opinion  concerning  the  writings  of  Jacob  Behmen  to  which 
he  replied — 

c 1  have  never  read  them.  I  was  prohibited*  reading  dog- 
4  matic  and  systematic  Theology  before  Heaven  was  opened  to 
1  me ;  for,  if  I  had,  false  doctrines  and  notions  might  easily 
'  have  been  sown  in  my  mind,  which,  only  with  much  difficulty, 
1  could  afterwards  have  been  rooted  out.' 

His  reading  on  his  chosen  themes  was  profound,  but  for 
desultory  or  miscellaneous  reading  he  appears  to  have  had  no 
taste,  and  as  a  consequence  his  range  of  allusion  and  illustra- 
tion is  very  limited.  I  should  suppose,  that  on  many  subjects, 
History  for  instance,  his  learning  was  that  of  a  school-boy. 
Yet  here  his  caution  served  him  in  good  stead,  and  saved  him 
alike  from  errors  of  arrogance  and  ignorance.  We  never  find 
him  writing  on  any  matter  where  his  information  was  not  on 
a  par  with  the  best  of  his  generation. 

We  have  already  observed,  that  in  i  The  Economy  '  and 
c  The  Animal  Kingdom  '  there  are  many  signs  of  the  spi- 
ritual life  of  his  childhood  bursting  into  Spring  after  the  long 
Winter  of  his  manhood.  We  have  heard  him  tell  how  his 
boyish  head  was  filled  with  deep  questions  concerning  the  rela- 
tions of  Charity  and  Faith,  and  how  he  came  to  the  conclusion, 
that  Charity  must  be  the  root  of  all  true  Faith.  Curiously 
enough  among  his  manuscripts  is  found  the  fragment  of 


*  Meaning  simply,  I  suppose,  that  he  did  not.  In  his  neglect  of  Theology 
he  discerned  the  Divine  will  and  purpose  concerning  him ;  as  in  like  manner, 
if  we  consider  deeply,  we  may  find  in  our  own  willing  and  unwilling  omissions. 


190 


CHARITY   AND   FA  IT II. 


a  paper  entitled  4  Faith  and  Good  Works  Philosophical!)} 
considered'*  written  somewhere  about  1740  in  which,  as  it 
were,  he  takes  np  the  thread  of  reasoning,  he  had  dropped 
when  a  youth  of  twelve.    He  begins — 

4  There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  it  is  Faith,  which  saves,  and 
( not  Works  separate  from  Faith ;  but  where  there  is  a 
4  possibility  of  doing  Good  Works,  the  question  is,  whether 
4  Faith  will  save  without  them,  according  to  the  dogma  of  the 
(  Lutherans.  We  reply,  that  the  affirmative  seems  compatible, 
4  neither  with  the  Divine  Word  of  Revelation,  nor  with  human 
4  Reason  ;  both  of  which  lead  rather  to  the  conclusion,  that 
4  Faith  without  Works  is  a  nullity  ;  and,  were  it  anything, 
4  would  condemn,  not  save' 

First,  he  quotes  a  number  of  well-known  texts  from 
Scripture  in  support  of  his  position  remarking,  that — 

4  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Romans,  says,  that  it  is  Faith 
4  ivhich  saves,  but  not  Actions:  meaning  thereby,  not  Actions 
4  without  Faith  ;  but  Luther,  in  his  translation  of  the  Bible, 
4  has  added  to  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  44  Faith  without 
4  44  Works,"  though  the  latter  phrase  is  not  to  be  found  in 
'  the  saered  text :  and  I  believe,  that  Luther  never  committed 
4  a  greater  sin,  than  when  he  made  this  interpolation :  but 
4  God  be  the  judge.1 

He  then  dives  into  a  metaphysical  discussion,  into  which 
we  need  not  follow  him,  and  emerges  with  the  clenched 
conclusion,  4  that  there  is  no  love  to  God,  if  there  be  none 
4  to  the  Neighbour ;  or,  that  there  is  no  Faith  if  there  be 
4  no  Works.  Faith  without  Works  is  a  phrase  involving  a 
A  contradiction,  in  which  the  predicate  ignores  the  subject;  it  is 
4  a  position  of  something  from  nothing  and  of  the  possible  from 
4  the  impossible ;  it  is  a  distinction  inadmissible  in  this  life.' 

The  last  sentences  of  this  paper  are  well  worth  noting  for 


*  Printed  by  the  Swedenborg  Association  in  184."),  in  a  volume  «.f  liis 
'Posthumous  Tract*'   translated  \>y  Dr.  Wilkinson. 


swedenborg's  early  theology. 


191 


their  vivid  contrast  with  his  later  experience  and  doctrine. 
He  says — 

4  In  the  Future  Life,  Love  to  God  may  be  said  to  exist 
4  tcithout  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  Love  to  the  Neigh- 
4  hour.  True  ;  but  in  this  case,  Love  and  Faith  are  not 
4  considered  as  saving,  for  the  Soul  is  already  either  saved  or 
4  condemned ;  and  all  the  means,  which  consist  in  doing  the 
I  duties  of  Love  to  the  Neighbour  are  taken  away  j  because 
'the  Body,  which  is  the  subject  of  action,  is  extinct.'  (Here 
now  comes  a  characteristic  Swedenborgian  inference.)  4  There- 
4  fore,  sumptuous  Dives  wished  to  return  to  Life,  that  he 
4  might  be  able  to  minister  to  poor  Lazarus.' 

It  is  often  asked  how  much  of  his  Philosophy  did  Sweden- 
borg  carry  over  to  his  Theology,  and  it  is  a  question  difficult, 
with  precision,  to  answer.  His  Philosophy  itself  was  in  slow 
but  constant  transition,  and  in  1744  many  of  his  opinions  of 
1734  had  been  altered  or  repudiated.  We  shall  find  much  in 
his  later  writings,  which  will  remind  us  of  his  earlier,  but  the 
threads  are  so  intertwined  and  modified  in  the  new  texture, 
that  dissection  usually  ends  in  destruction,  or  mystification. 

For  example,  of  the  grand  revelation  of  his  second  life,  the 
Doctrine  of  Correspondences,  we  have  hints  in  4  The  Prin- 
cipia  '  and  Ml  expression  of  in  4  The  Economy '  and  4  The 
Animal  Kingdom  /'  but  his  first  notion  of  Series  and  Degrees 
in  Creation,  was  that  of  rarity  and  density,  of  the  Sun  and  the 
Human  Soul  at  the  inside  being  only  a  finer  form  of  the  Earth 
under  foot.  Gradually  he  introduces  various  discriminations 
into  his  first  rude  thought,  until  in  his  conception  of  the  two 
Suns,  a  Sim  of  Life  or  Spirit  within  the  Suns  of  Xature  he 
fairly  grasped  the  key  to  the  mystery  of  the  Order  of  the 
Universe.  In  a  passage  of  promise  in  4  The  Animal  Kingdom  ' 
the  great  truth  of  the  connection,  as  that  of  cause  and  effect, 
existing  between  the  Unseen  and  the  Seen  is  discerned  and 
expressed  in  remarkable  perfection.    He  writes — 


192 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  CORRESPONDENCE. 


4  In  our  Doctrine  of  Representations  and  Correspondences 
1  we  shall  treat  of  these  Symbolical  and  Typical  Represent** 
1  tions,  and  of  the  astonishing  things,  which  occur,  I  will  not 
1  say  in  the  living  Body  only,  but  throughout  Nature,  and 
4  which  correspond  so  entirely  to  Supreme  and  Spiritual  Things, 
L  that  one  would  swear,  that  the  Physical  World  was  purely 
L  Symbolical  of  the  Spiritual  World  ;  insomuch,  that  if  we 
L  choose  to  express  any  Natural  Truth  in  Physical  Terms,  and 
4  convert  them  into  corresponding  Spiritual  Terms,  we  shall 
4  by  this  means  elicit  a  Spiritual  Truth  in  place  of  the  Physical 
4  Truth  ;  although  no  mortal  could  have  predicted,  that  any- 
4  thing  of  the  kind  could  possibly  arise  by  bare  literal 
1  transposition  ;  inasmuch  as  the  one  precept,  considered 
4  separately  from  the  other,  appears  to  have  absolutely  no 
f  relation  to  it.  I  intend  hereafter  to  communicate  a  number 
4  of  examples  of  such  Correspondences,  together  with  a 
4  Vocabulary  containing  the  terms  of  Spiritual  Things,  as 
4  well  as  of  the  Physical  Things,  for  which  they  are  to  be 
4  substituted.'* 

The  designed  examples  of  Correspondences  together  with 
the  4  Vocabulary '  he  never  published,  but  among  his  manuscripts 
there  is  a  draft  of  such  a  work,  which  after  his  death  was 
printed  as  lA  Hieroglyphic  Key  to  Natural  and  Spiritual 
Mysteries?  It  is  worth  very  little  and  is  not  up  to  the  light 
of  the  paragraph  just  quoted  ;  and  I  should  think  was  written 
at  an  earlier  date. 

It  would  be  easy  to  prolong  this  talk,  but  on  the  heights 
at  the  end  of  our  journey  we  shall  view  to  better  advantage 
the  lowlands  on  whose  borders  we  tarry.  Let  us  then  arise 
and  move  onwards.  Swedenborg  waits  to  take  our  hands  and 
lead  us  behind  the  curtain,  which  screens  the  Outer  and  Lower 
from  the  Inner  and  Lpper  World. 


*  1  The  Animal  Kinprlnm.'  Vol  I.,  p.  451. 


1743  to  1772. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBOKG 

FROM  HIS  55th  TO  HIS  DEATH  IN  HIS  85th  YEAR. 


PART  II. 


SPIRIT-SEEING   AND  THEOLOGY. 


(    195  ) 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE  DAWN  OF  A  NEW  LIFE. 


Not  without  many  signs  and  presages  did  the  Spiritual  World 
open  to  Swedenborg.  From  his  childhood,  when  on  his 
knees  at  prayer,  his  breath  was  curiously  holden  within  him, 
strange  rays  of  light  from  the  Sim  of  another  country  from 
time  to  time  had  broken  through  his  darkness. 

4  For  many  years  before  his  mind  was  opened,  and  he  was 
c  enabled  to  speak  with  Spirits,  there  were  not  only  dreams 
L  informing  him  of  the  matters,  that  were  written,  but  also 
4  changes  of  state  when  he  was  writing,  and  a  peculiar  extra- 
4  ordinary  light  in  the  writings.  Afterwards  there  were  many 
^  visions  when  his  eyes  were  shut ;  light  miraculously  given  • 
i  Spirits  influencing  him  as  sensibly  as  if  they  touched  his 
4  bodily  senses ;  temptations  also  from  evil  Spirits,  almost 
4  overwhelming  him  with  horror  ;  fiery  lights  j  words  spoken 
4  in  early  morning;  and  many  similar  events.'* 

4  Flames  of  various  sizes  and  of  different  colour  and 
4  splendour  were  seen  by  him,  and  this  so  often,  that  for 
4  several  months  when  writing  a  certain  work,  scarcely  a  day 
4  passed  in  which  there  did  not  appear  before  him  flames  as 
4  vivid  as  those  of  a  common  fire,  which  were  so  many  attesta- 
1  tions  of  the  truth  of  what  he  was  writing :  and  this  was 
4  before  the  time  when  Spirits  began  to  speak  with  him  as 
4  man  with  man.'t 

*  From  Swedenborg's  own  '  Sjriritual  Diary,1  No.  2,951,  in  which  he 
frequently  writes  thus  impersonally. 

f  From  his  '  Adversaria '  on  Genesis  and  Exodus. 

o2 


196 


OPENING  OF  INNER  EYES. 


In  the  Fourth  Part  of  his  *  Animal  Kingdom  f  written  in 
1 744,  we  tin  J  these  words — 

1  According  to  admonition  heard,  I  must  refer  to  my 

1  philosophical  1  Principia  1  ami  it  has  been  told  me, 

1  that  by  that  means  I  shall  be  enabled  to  direct  my  flight 
1  whithersoever  I  will.' 

Twice  also  in  the  same  work  he  notifies,  that  lie  is  com- 
manded to  write  what  he  is  penning.* 

At  p.  194  he  mentions,  that  he  saw  a  representation  of  a 
certain  Golden  Key,  that  he  was  to  carry  to  open  the  door  to 
spiritual  things.  At  p.  202  he  remarks,  at  the  end  of  a 
paragraph,  that  1  oil  account  of  what  is  there  written  there 
1  happened  to  him  wonderful  things  on  the  night  between  the 
L  first  and  second  of  July  and  he  adds  in  the  margin,  that 
the  matter  set  down  was  1  foretold  to  him  in  a  wonderful 
1  manner  on  that  occasion. '|  Still  further  on,  at  p.  215  he 
again  refers  to  his  extraordinary  dream  at  the  beginning  of 
July,  1744. 

Until  1859  this  was  all  the  account  there  was  to  give 
of  the  transition  of  Swedenborg's  mind  from  the  study  of 
Anatomy  to  the  year  when  he  proclaimed  himself  in  full  com- 
munion with  Angels,  Spirits  and  Devils.  Except,  that  in  1744 
lie  was  in  Holland  printing  the  first  and  second  parts  of  his 
1  Animal  Kingdom  '  and  in  London  in  1745  printing  the  third 
part  and  '  The  Worship  and  Love  of  God1  nothing  trust- 
worthy was  known.  On  no  part  of  Swedenborg's  life  was 
knowledge  more  desirable,  and  on  no  part  was  our  ignorance 
more  complete  and  tantalizing  :  but  light  was  at  hand. 

In  October,  1858,  there  was  offered  for  sale  to  the  Royal 
Library  at  Stockholm  a  small  octavo  volume,  such  as  was 


*  '  Jussus  sum.    Ita  videar  jussus.'    M.S.,  pp.  202,  203. 

f  '  H.nec  qucc  scripsi  pramuntiata  niihi  sunt  mirabiliter,  vide  finem  Juli  1 
4  et  2.  Scripsi  Jul.  2.'  M.S.,  p.  174  in  margin.  '  We  give  these  references 
'to  the  M.S.,  because  by  some  oversight  the  words  appear  to  have  been 
1  omitted  from  Dr.  Tafel's  edition  '     Dr.  Wilkinson. 


A  PRECIOUS  DISCOVERY. 


commonly  used  for  note-books  last  century,  bound  in  parchment, 
with  a  pocket  on  each  side,  and  fastened  at  the  middle  with  a 
clasp.  There  were  only  sixty-nine  leaves  in  it,  as  some, 
probably  blank,  had  been  torn  out.  Only  fifty-four  leaves,  or 
to  be  exact  one  hundred  and  four  pages  were  written  upon. 
On  examination  it  proved  to  be  a  Diary  kept  by  Swedenborg 
between  1743  and  1744.  Nothing,  to  those  who  had  any 
biographic  interest  in  Swedenborg,  coidd  be  more  welcome. 
The  book  had  lain  hidden  in  the  library  of  Professor  E. 
Scheringsson,  who  died  in  1849  aged  ninety.  With  his  heirs 
it  remained  unnoticed,  until  tiiriiing  it  over,  it  was  thought 
that  some  money  might  be  got  for  it  at  the  Eoyal  Library. 
Mr.  Klemming,  the  Eoyal  Librarian  quickly  discerning  the 
value  of  the  shabby  old  book  bought  it,  and  in  1859  he 
printed  an  edition  of  ninety-nine  copies,*  edited  with  a 
punctilious  care,  which  will  for  ever  leave  Swedenborgian 
students  his  grateful  debtors. 

A  manuscript  so  much  desired,  and  produced  with  such 
an  indefinite  history  will  at  once,  and  naturally,  excite  in  the 


*  '  Svedenborg8  Drommar  1744  jemte  andra  hans  antechningar.  Efter 
1  Original- Handskrifter  meddelade  of  G.  E.  Klemming.1    Stockholm,  1859. 

Mr.  Klemming  places  this  motto  on  the  title  page  from  Swedenborg's 
later  '  Spiritual  Diary :'  — 

'  Ita  provisum  est  a  Domino,  ut  phantasise  iis  appareant  prorsns  sicut 
'  realiter  forent.  No.  4,360.  (It  is  thus  provided  by  the  Lord,  that  their 
1  phantasies  should  appear  to  them  altogether  as  realities.)'  Swedenborg  is 
there  writing  of  unhappy  Spirits,  but  Mr.  Klemming  seems  to  think,  that  the 
remark  will  apply  to  himself  and  his  own  Dreams.  Only  ninety-nine  copies 
were  printed,  on  account  of  the  obscene  nature  of  some  of  the  entries. 

The  Baron  Constant  Dirckinck  Holmfeld  of  Copenhagen  has  very  kindly 
made  for  me  a  translation  into  English  of  the  rough  and  difficult  Swedish  of 
'  The  Dreams.1  This  translation,  with  discreet  omissions,  has  been  printed 
in  the  numbers  of  1  The  Daicn  ■  for  1861-62,  a  monthly  magazine  published 
by  Mr.  F.  Pitman  of  20,  Paternoster-row,  London.  For  the  help  of  curious 
American  readers  I  may  mention,  that  {  The  Crisis,1  a  paper  published  at 
La  Porte,  Indiana,  has  reprinted  in  its  columns  '  The  Dreams '  as  they 
appeared  in  '  The  Dawn1 


198 


A  POCKET-BOOK  OF  VISIONS. 


reader  suspicions  of  forgery ;  but  these  suspicions  he  may 
confidently  lay  aside.  The  Diary  has  been  examined  by  the 
best  experts  in  Swedenborgian  literature,  and  all  confess  that 
its  authorship  is  incontestible.  The  handwriting,  the  style  of 
thought  and  of  diction  are  plainly  and  inimitably  Swedenborg's. 
Many  with  every  desire  to  discredit  its  genuineness  are  unable 
to»find  ground  for  the  least  exception.  Yet  it  is  to  be  wished, 
for  perfect  satisfaction,  that  the  history  of  the  manuscript  may 
some  day  be  clearly  made  out.* 

The  Diary  as  printed  by  Mr.  Klemming  occupies  sixty- 
four  pages,  each  comprising  about  as  many  words  as  one  page 
of  the  present  book.  There  is  much  monotony  in  the  entries, 
and  listening  to  Dreams  is  seldom  a  lively  occupation  ;  yet 
I  hope  nevertheless  to  hold  my  reader's  attention  whilst 
we  read  together  what  is  most  characteristic  in  this  curious 
Diary :  skipping  whatever  seems  mere  iteration,  and  omitting 
some  five  or  six  passages,  only  fit  for  a  medical  journal,  which 
set  forth  at  length  would  doom  this  volume,  in  all  judicious 
households,  to  existence  under  lock  and  key. 

Let  us  premise,  that  Swedenborg  had  completed  a  large 
part  of  his  work  on  4  The  Animal  Kingdom]  and  it  was 
necessary,  that  he  should  go  to  Holland  to  have  it  printed, 

From  Stockholm  to  the  Hague. 

k  1743,  the  21st  of  July,'  the  Diary  opens,  4  I  left 
4  Stockholm  and  arrived  on  the  27th  at  Ystad.  The  con- 
4  trary  wind  prevented  us  sailing  until  the  5th  of  August. 
4  On  the  6th  wc  reached  Stralsund  and  early  next  day,  we 


*  I  observe  that  Dr.  Wilkinson  in  his  \  Siocdenborg ;  a  Biography,1  pub- 
lished in  1849  states,  that  1  So  observant  was  Swedenborg  of  what  went  on 
1  within  himself,  that  ho  left  a  M.S.  record  of  several  of  his  Dreams  from 
1  1730  to  1740,  which,  however,  unfortunately  is  not  accessible,  having  been 
'  taken  out  of  the  M.S.  volume  which  contained  it.  to  1*  kept  by  the 
:  Swedenborg  family.' — 1'apc  85. 


STOCKHOLM  TO  THE  HAGUE. 


199 


4  entered  the  town.  I  again  visited  the  fortifications,  the 
4  house  where  Charles  XII.  had  lodged,  the  Mejerfeldz 
4  palace,  and  the  churches.  In  St.  Nicholas  a  clock  is  shewn, 
4  which  has  been  thrice  struck  by  lightning,  in  1670,  1683, 
4  and  1688,  just  when  the  hand  was  at  six  o'clock.  Visited 
4  the  new  fortifications  outside  the  Kniper-gate,  and  saw  the 
4  water-works,  which  supply  the  town :  they  consist  of  two 
4  sets  of  pipes. 

4  The  9th  August  I  left  Stralsund  .  .  .  ,  and  on  the  12th 
4  arrived  at  Hamburg,  and  took  up  my  quarters  in  the 
4  Keisershof,  where  also  the  Countess  de  la  Gardie  was 
4  staying.  I  met  Baron  Hamilton,  Reuterholm,  Trivalt, 
4  Konig,  Assessor  Awerman,  and  I  was  presented  to  the 
4  Prince  Augustus,  who  conversed  in  Swedish.  Afterwards  I 
4  was  presented  by  the  Grand  Marshal  Lesch  to  his  Royal 
4  Highness  Adolph  Friedrich  and  shewed  him  the  manuscript 
4 1  had  with  me  for  printing,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
4  criticisms  of  my  former  works. 

4  On  the  17th  I  went  from  Hamburg  over  the  river  to 
4  Buxtahude,  where  I  saw  the  prettiest  country  I  ever  beheld 
4  in  Germany.  It  was  a  continuous  garden  of  apple-trees, 
4  pear-trees,  plum-trees,  walnuts,  chesnuts,  limes  and  elms. 

4  On  the  18th  to  Bremen  with  its  fine  ramparts  and 
1  suburbs.  The  best  of  these  is  Nystadt,  on  the  bridge  to 
4  which  there  are  no  less  than  eleven  water-mills,  one  by  the 
4  side  of  the  other. 

4  On  the  20th  from  Bremen  to  Leer  through  Oldenburgh. 
4  Thence  to  Groningen  and  Harlingen,  which  last  is  a  large 
4  town  ' 

Here  the  manuscript  breaks  off;  and  it  is  impossible  to 
say  whether  any  continuation  was  written  or  not.  The  word 
Stad  (town)  concludes  the  sixth  page,  followed  by  blank 
leaves  and  the  fragments  of  some  three  or  four  torn  out, 

Swedenborg  we  next  find  at  the  Hague,  and  his  Diary 
altogether  changes  its  character.    Thus  the  entries  resume — 


200 


A  LIST  OF  VISIONS. 


The  Beginning  of  Visions. 

4  L  Dreamed  of  my  youth  and  the  Gustavian  family. 

4  2.  In  Venice,  of  the  beautiful  palace. 

4  3.  In  Sweden,  of  the  white  cloud  in  heaven. 

c  4.  In  Leipsic,  of  one,  that  lay  in  boiling  water. 

*  5.  Of  one,  that  tumbled  with  a  chain  into  the  deep. 

4  6.  Of  the  King,  who  gave  away  so  precious  a  thing  in  a 
4  Peasant's  hut. 

4  7.  Of  one,  who  wished  me  to  travel. 

4  8.  Of  my  delights  during  the  night. 

4  I  wondered,  that  nothing  more  was  left  me  to  do  for  my 
4  renown,  so  far  as  I  could  see.  Also,  that  I  had  no  desire  for 
*  women,  as  I  had  had  all  through  my  life. 

4  9.  How  I  was  in  waking  extasies  nearly  all  the  time. 

1 10.  How  I  withstood  the  Spirit. 

4  How  I  then  favoured  it  

4  11.  How  I  found,  that  since  I  had  come  to  the  Hague, 
4  my  interest  and  self-love  in  my  own  work  had  subsided.  I 
4  myself  wondered  much  at  this. 

4  How  my  inclination  for  women,  which  had  been  my 
4  strongest  passion,  so  suddenly  ceased. 

4  How  through  all  the  time  I  had  a  sound  sleep  in  the 
1  nights,  which  was  more  than  kind. 

4  How  my  extasies  were  before  and  after  sleep. 

4  My  clear  thoughts  about  things. 

4  How  I  resisted  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  what 
4  then  happened.  How  I  saw  Hideous  Spectres  without  life, 
4  fearfully  shrouded,  and  moving  in  their  shrouds ;  also  an 
4  animal,  which  attacked  me,  but  not  the  child  

4  How  a  woman  lay  herself  at  my  side  as  if  I  were  awake. 
4 1  wished  to  know,  who  she  was.  She  spoke  softly.  She 
4  said  she  was  pure,  but  she  had  a  bad  smell.  I  believe,  she 
1  was  my  Guardian  Angel,  because  then  the  temptation  began.' 

We  now  eome  t<>  tin-  first  date,  March  24th,  1744.  since 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  VISIONS. 


201 


his  departure  from  Harlingen  in  August,  a  space  of  six 
months.  This  new  state  which  has  come  over  Swedenborg  I 
should  suppose  commenced  somewhere  in  March,  and  that  he 
had  ceased  keeping  the  Diary,  when  he  reached  the  Hague 
about  the  beginning  of  September,  and  grew  busy  over  the 
proofs  of  4  The  Animal  Kingdom."1  The  dates  separated  by 
the  cross  signify  the  night  between  the  evening  and  the 
morning  of  each  day. 

4  1744.    March  24  X  25. 

4 1  stood  beside  a  machine  moved  by  a  wheel,  the  spokes 
4  of  which  entangled  me  more  and  more,  and  forced  me 
4  upward,  so  that  there  was  no  escape  

4  I  was  in  a  garden,  laid  out  in  many  beautiful  divisions, 
4  one  of  which  I  wished  to  possess.  I  looked  round  to  see  if 
4  there  was  any  way  by  which  I  could  get  out ;  I  thought  I 
4  saw  one,  but  then  thought  of  another.  Some  one  was  busy 
4  picking  off  invisible  creeping  things,  and  killing  them.  He 
4  said  they  were  bugs,  which  some  one  had  brought  and  thrown 
4  into  the  garden  to  infest  those  there.  I  did  not  see  them, 
4  but  I  foimd  another  little  insect,  which  I  let  fall  on  a  piece  of 
4  white  linen  beside  a  woman.  It  signified  the  impurity  within 
4  me,  which  has  to  be  extirpated  

4  25  X  26. 

4 1  seemed  to  take  a  key ;  went  in ;  was  examined  by  the 
4  door-keeper  as  to  what  keys  I  had ;  I  shewed  them  all  to  see 
4  whether  I  might  have  two,  but  Hesselius*  seemed  to  have 
4  another.  I  was  arrested  and  watched,  and  many  came  to  me 
4  in  carriages.  I  thought  I  had  not  done  any  wrong ;  yet  I 
4  remembered,  that  it  might  look  suspicious  if  it  was  asked, 
4  how  it  happened,  that  I  had  taken  that  key.  I  awoke.  This 
4  has  many  significations ;  as,  that  I  had  taken  the  key  to 


*  Dr.  John  Hessel,  a  friend  with  whom  he  travelled  in  1721. 


202 


STKAXGE  DREAMS. 


4  Anatomy ;  the  other  in  the  possession  of  Hesselius  was  the 
{ key  to  Medicine.  Or,  that  the  key  to  the  Lungs  is  the 
*  pulmonary  artery,  which  is  thus  the  key  to  all  the  motions 
4  of  the  Body.    Or,  it  may  be  interpreted  spiritually. 

4  I  wauted  medicine  for  my  disease.  I  got  a  number  of  pence 
4  to  buy  it  with.  I  took  half  of  them,  and  selected  some  from 
'  the  other  half;  but  gave  all  back  again.  The  man  said,  that 
4  he  would  buy  me  something  for  my  cure.    This  signifies  my 

I  corporeal  thoughts  as  being  coins  with  which  I  tried  to  cure 
4  myself,  but  it  was  of  no  use. 

4  Afterwards  I  came  out  and  saw  many  black  beetles ;  one 
4  was  thrown  at  me.  I  saw,  that  it  could  not  use  its  feet.  I 
4  believe,  that  this  means,  that  Natural  reason  cannot  har- 
'  inonize  with  Spiritual  

<  KB.— 3  X  4  April.    The  day  before  Easter. 
1  Experienced  nothing  during  the  -whole  night,  though  I 
4  often  awoke.    I  thought  all  was  away  and  settled,  and  that 

I I  was  left,  or  had  driven  away  in  a  carriage.  In  the  morning 
4 1  appeared  to  ride  off  on  horseback,  and  it  was  shewn  me 
4  whither  I  should  go  |  but  wherever  I  looked  it  was  dark,  and 
4 1  found  myself  lost  in  the  darkness  ;  then  it  became  light  and 
4 1  saw,  that  I  had  gone  astray.  Saw  the  way  and  the  forests 
4  and  groves  whither  I  ought  to  go,  and  behind  them  the  sky. 
4 1  awoke.  Then  came  the  thought  about  this  Life,  and  eternal 
4  Life,  and  all  seemed  to  me  full  of  grace.  I  burst  into  tears 
4  because  I  had  loved  Him  so  little,  but  rather  continually  had 
4  angered  Him,  Who  had  led  me,  and  finally  had  shewn  me 
4  the  way,  that  leads  to  the  Kingdom  of  grace,  and  because  I 
4  had  become  unworthy  to  receive  mercy. 

'4X5.    Went  to  the  Lord's  Supper. 
4  There  was  sung  a  melody,  and  a  line  I  remember  from 
4  the  hymn — 

4  4  Jesus  is  my  best  of  friends.' 

k  The  buds  have  come  out  quite  green. 


MISERY  AND  JOY. 


203 


'5X6.  April. 

Desolation  and  Extatic  Bliss. 

4  Easter  was  the  5th  of  April,  when  I  went  to  the  Lord's 
4  Supper.  Temptation  still  continued,  chiefly  after  dinner  till 
'  6  o'clock,  but  not  in  a  definite  fomi.    It  was  an  anxiety  as 

1  if  I  were  condemned  and  in  Hell  Prayer  and  the 

(  Word  of  God  soothed  down  these  fears ;  Faith  was  present 
4  in  fullness,  but  Confidence  and  Love  seemed  to  be  gone.  I 
4  went  to  bed  at  9  o'clock,  but  the  temptation,  accompanied 
4  with  trembling,  continued  until  half-past  10.  I  then  fell  into 
4  a  sleep  in  which  the  whole  of  my  temptation  was  represented 
4  to  me  

4  Afterwards  I  wakened  and  fell  asleep  again  many 
4  times.  I  had  visions  the  whole  night.  My  thoughts  were 
4  pressed  full  with  a  life  and  magnificence,  I  cannot  describe. 
4  All  was  heavenly,  clear  at  the  time,  but  inexplicable  now. 
4  In  one  word,  I  was  in  Heaven,  and  heard  speech,  that  no 
4  tongue  can  utter ;  nor  the  glory  and  the  innermost  delight, 
4  which  followed  the  speech. 

4  Besides,  I  was  also  awake  and  in  a  heavenly  extasy, 
4  which  also  cannot  be  described.  At  9  o'clock  I  went  to  bed, 
4  and  got  up  between  9  and  10  next  morning :  having  been  12 
4  or  13  hours  in  bed.  Praise,  honour  and  glory  be  to  the 
4  Highest !  Hallowed  be  His  Name  !  Holy,  holy,  Lord  God 
4  of  Sabaoth  !  

4 1  found  in  myself  like  rays  of  light,  and  felt  it  the 
4  greatest  happiness  to  become  a  Martyr.  When  I  consider 
4  the  indescribable  mercy  connected  with  the  love  of  God, 
4  the  wish  arises  to  go  through  those  torments,  which  are 
4  nothing  in  comparison  to  what  is  eternal.  It  is  the  least  of 
4  things  to  offer  up  one's  life. 

4 1  also  felt  in  my  Mind  and  Body  a  sensation  of  inex- 
1  prcssible  delight,  so  that  had  it  been  intensified  I  should 
*  have  been  dissolved  in  mere  bliss. 


204 


A  DIVINE  APPEARANCE. 


4  This  was  the  night  between  Easter  Sunday  and  Monday  ; 
4  also  the  whole  of  Easter  Monday. 

'  6  x  7  April,  1744.    N.B.  N.B.  N.B. 

4  I  went  to  Delft,  and  the  whole  day  had  the 

4  grace  to  continue  in  deep  spiritual  thought,  deeper  and 
4  lovelier  than  I  had  ever  been  In  before.  It  was  the  work 
4  of  the  Spirit,  Who  was  with  me. 

4 1  went  to  bed  Half  an  hour  after  I  heard  a  tum- 

4  bling  noise  under  my  head.  I  thought  it  was  the  Tempter 
4  going  away.  Immediately  a  violent  trembling  came  over 
4  me  from  head  to  foot  with  a  great  noise.  This  happened 
4  several  times.  I  felt  as  if  something  holy  were  over  me. 
4 1  then  fell  asleep,  and  about  12,  1,  or  2  the  tremblings  and 
4  the  noise  were  repeated  indescribably.  I  was  prostrated  on 
4 my  face,  and  at  that  moment  I  became  wide  awake  and 
4  perceived,  that  I  was  thrown  down,  and  wondered  what  was 
4  the  meaning.' 

In  what  follows  we  shall  understand  the  meaning  of  the 
thrice  Kota  Bene  set  over  this  entry.    It  is  the  account  of 

The  First  Divine  Appearance  to  Sicedenborg. 

4 1  spoke  as  if  awake,  but  felt,  that  these  words  were  put 
4  into  my  mouth — 

4  4  Thou  Almighty  Jesus  Christ,  Who  by  Thy  great 
4  4  mercy  deigns  to  come  to  so  great  a  sinner,  make  me 
4  4  worthy  of  Thy  grace.' ' 

4 1  kept  my  hands  together  in  prayer,  and  then  a  hand 
4  came  forward  and  firmly  pressed  mine.  I  continued  my 
4  prayers,  saying — 

4  4  Thou  hast  promised  to  have  mercy  upon  all  sinners, 
4  4  Thou  canst  not  but  keep  Thy  word.'  ' 

4  At  that  moment  I  sat  in  His  bosom  and  saw  Him  face  to 
4  face.  It  was  a  face  of  holy  mien  and  altogether  inde- 
4  scribable,  and  He  smiled  so,  that  I  believe,  His  face  had 
1  indeed  been  like  this  when  He  lived  <>n  earth. 


A  DIVINE  APPEARANCE. 


205 


4  He  spoke  to  me,  and  asked,  whether  I  had  a  certificate  of 
4  health.  I  answered,  u  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  better  than 
1 1 1."  "Do  then,"  He  said,  which  signified,  as  far  as  I 
4  perceived  in  my  mind,  to  love  Him  in  reality,  or,  that  I 
4  should  do  what  I  had  vowed.  God  give  me  His  grace  to  do 
4  so !  I  saw  it  was  beyond  my  own  power,  and  I  awoke  with 
4  trembling. 

4  Again  I  came  into  a  state  of  thought,  neither  sleeping 
4  nor  waking.  I  thought,  What  can  this  be  ?  Is  it  Christ, 
4  God's  Son,  I  have  seen  ?  It  would  be  sinful  to  be  in  doubt 
4  about  it,  but  as  it  is  commanded  we  should  try  the  Spirits,  I 
4  considered  all  over,  what  had  happened  last  night. 

4 1  found  that  I  had  been  purified,  soothed  and  protected 
4  the  whole  night  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  thus  prepared  so  far; 
4  also,  that  I  had  fallen  on  my  face  and  prayed,  not  from  my- 
4  self,  for  the  words  were  put  into  my  mouth,  and  all  was  holy. 

4  So  I  concluded,  that  it  was  the  Son  of  God  Himself,  Who 
4  came  down  with  the  noise  like  thunder,  Who  prostrated  me 
4  on  the  ground,  and  Who  called  forth  the  prayer.  So,  said  I, 
4  it  was  Jesus  Himself  from  Whom  I  asked  mercy  for  having 
4  so  long  remained  in  doubt,  and  for  having  thought  of  asking 
4  for  a  miracle. 

4  Then  I  fell  to  prayer  and  sought  only  for  mercy.  More 
4 1  could  not  utter ;  yet  afterwards  I  prayed  to  have  love, 
4  which  is  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ  and  not  my  own. 

4  All  the  while  tremblings  came  over  me. 

4  Afterwards,  at  daybreak,  I  again  fell  asleep,  and  it  came 
4  into  my  thoughts,  how  Christ  unites  Himself  to  mankind. 
4  My  thoughts  were  holy,  but  they  were  such  as  are  quite 
4  unsearchable.  I  am  not  in  the  least  able  to  write  down  what 
4  then  happened.  I  only  generally  know  that  I  was  in  such 
4  thoughts.' 

A  Vision  of  the  Bishop. 
4  Then  I  saw  my  father  in  a  dress  of  a  nearly  red  colour. 


206 


BISHOP  SVEDBERG  appears. 


4  He  called  me  and  took  me  by  the  arms,  where  I  had  half  sleeves 

•  with  cuffs  or  ruffles  in  front.    He  pulled  both  ruffles,  and  tied 

•  them  with  my  own  strings.  These  ruffles  signify,  that  I  am 
4  not  among  the  Clergy,  but  am  in  a  civil  office,  and  must 

1  remain  so  It  is  curious  to  observe,  that  I  did  not  call 

1  him  my  father,  but  my  brother.  I  reflected  on  the  reason  of 
1  this,  and  it  seemed  to  be,  that  a3  my  father  was  dead,  this 
c  father  must  be  my  brother. 

'  Not  to  forget,  that  it  came  into  my  mind,  the  Holy  Spirit 
1  would  show  me  to  Jesus  and  present  me  to  Him  as  a  work, 
;  He  had  thu3  far  prepared  ;  also,  that  I  ought  not  to  attribute 

•  anything  to  myself,  but  that  all  is  His,  though  of  grace,  He 

•  impute  it  to  us. 

'  Then  I  sang  the  245th  Hymn  I  had  selected — 

S L  Jesus  is  my  best  of  friends.' 
4 1  have  now  learned  in  spiritual  things,  that  the  sum  of 
1  all  is,  to  humble  oneself,  and  to  desire  nothing  else,  save  the 

•  mercy  of  Christ  

'7X8  April. 

'  Throughout  the  whole  night  I  was  going  down  deep, 
1  stairs  after  stairs,  but  quite  securely,  so  that  the  depth  was 
1  without  any  danger  for  me.  There  occurred  to  me  in  the 
f  dream,  this  verse — i  4  Neither  depth,  nor  anything  else, 
1  whether  future  or  *  (Romans  viii.,  38,  39)  

1  Christ  in  Whom  all  the  Godhead  is  perfect,  ought  alone 
1  to  be  prayed  to  ;  for  He  takes  the  greatest  sinners  to  grace, 
[  and  regards  as  nothing  our  nnworthiness.  How  can  we 
1  therefore,  address  ourselves  to  other  than  Christ  *?  He  is 
1  Almighty  and  the  only  Mediator.'  .... 

The  Greatest  of  Sinners. 

1  I  found  myself  to  be  more  unworthy  than  others,  yea  the 
1  greatest  sinner,  because  the  Lord  had  given  me  power  to 
1  penetrate  with  my  thoughts  more  deeply  into  certain  matters 


MONEY  AND  MELANCHOLY. 


207 


4  than  others ;  and  the  very  fountain  of  sin  lies  there,  in  the 
1  tl ion ghts  brought  into  action.  Hence  my  sins  spring  from 
4  a  deeper  ground  than  those  of  many  others ;  and  in  this  I 
4  found  my  unworthiness  and  my  sins  greater  than  those  of 

4  other  men  

4  Whilst  I  was  in  the  Spirit  I  strove  to  know  how  I  might 
4  avoid  all,  that  was  impure ;  yet  I  marked,  that  the  impure 

4  on  all  occasions  thrust  itself  forward  For  instance 

4  if  any  person  did  not  regard  me  according  to  my  own 
4  estimate,  I  discovered,  that  I  always  thought  in  myself, 
c  4  Ah !  if  you  only  knew  what  grace  I  have,  you  would  act 
; 4  otherwise.'  This  was  at  once  impure,  and  had  self-love 
4  for  its  root.  When  I  found  this  out,  I  prayed  to  God  for 
4  forgiveness.'  

Can  a  Man  be  Rich  and  Melancholy  ? 

4 1  heard  somebody  at  the  table  ask,  if  any  one  could  be 
4  melancholy  who  had  plenty  of  money  ?  I  laughed  in  my 
1  mind  at  the  question,  and  had  it  been  addressed  to  me,  or 
4  had  it  been  fit  that  I  should  have  spoken,  I  should  have 
1  answered,  that  one,  who  has  abundance,  may  not  only  be 
4  melancholy,  but  suffer  melancholy  in  a  higher  degree — in  the 
4  Mind  and  Soul,  or  the  Spirit,  which  operates  therein.  I 
4  wondered,  that  any  one  could  put  such  a  question. 

4 1  can  the  better  testify  to  this  ;  for  by  the  grace  of  God 
'  abundance  of  all  I  require  in  worldly  things  has  been  allotted 
4  to  me.  I  can  live  in  plenty  on  my  annual  income,  can 
'  accomplish  whatever  I  intend,  and  have  a  surplus  remaining ; 
4  and  thus  I  can  bear  witness,  that  the  corporeal  sufferings 
1  which  result  from  scarcity  of  food  and  clothing  are  by  no 
'  means  so  bad  as  the  spiritual.'  

Whether  the  pains  arising  from  lack  of  food,  clothing  and 
shelter  are  worse  than  those  of  spiritual  misery,  is  one  of  those 
insoluble  problems  in  which  debaters  luxuriate.  Swedenborg 
thinks  he  settles  it  by  his  own  experience,  but  plainly  in- 


208 


NO  TALKING  ABOUT  THE  VISIONS. 


effectually,  for  by  his  own  admission  his  experience  was 
wholly  one-sided. 

A  Bookseller's  Shoj). 

4  Saw  a  bookseller's  shop.  Thought  immediately  that  my 
1  books  would  do  more  than  other  people's.  But  then  it  struck 
4  me  at  once,  that  one  is  servant  to  another,  and  the  Lord  ha3 
4  amongst  His  means  a  thousand  ways  of  preparing  one  man. 
4  Thus  every  book  ought  to  be  left  to  its  own  value,  as  a 
4  means  of  action,  near  or  remote,  upon  the  state  of  each  man's 
4  reason.  Still  pride  and  arrogance  will  push  forth.  May 
4  God  control  them,  who  has  the  power  in  His  hands  

How  he  held  his  tongue  about  these  Visions. 

4  All  the  while  I  was  in  society  as  before,  and  nobody  could 
4  see  in  me  the  least  change,  which  was  of  God's  mercy.  I 
4  was  not  allowed  to  speak  of  the  high  grace  which  had  fallen 
4  to  my  lot,  because  I  perceived  that  it  could  not  serve  any 
4  other  purpose  than  setting  people  thinking  and  talking 
4  for  and  against  me,  and,  at  the  same  time,  nurture  my 
4  self-love  

4  8  X  9  April. 

4  There  appeared  to  be  a  dog  on  my  knee.  I  wondered  at 
4  it  speaking  and  asking  about  its  former  master  Swabe.  It 
4  was  black,  and  kissed  me.  I  awoke,  and  called  on  Christ 
4  for  mercy,  because  of  the  great  pride  I  cherish,  and  the  self- 
4  flattery  it  induces  

'9  X  10. 
A  Night  of  Bliss. 

4  The  whole  day  of  the  9th  I  was  in  prayer,  in  songs  of 
4  praise,  in  reading  God's  Word,  and  fasting  

4  In  the  night  I  slept  tranquilly,  but  between  three  and 
4  four  in  the  morning,  I  awoke,  and  remained  waking,  but 


JOY,  ABSTRACTION,  SUFFERING. 


209 


4  as  in  a  vision.  I  could  look  up  and  be  awake  whenever  I 
*  liked,  so  that  I  was  not  otherwise  than  waking,  but  as  in  a 
4  vision.    From  the  Spirit  there  was  an  inward  and  sensible 

1  gladness  shed  over  my  whole  body  It  was  Love 

4  itself.  This  Love,  in  a  mortal  body,  of  which  I  was 

4  then  full,  is  to  be  compared  to  the  joy,  which  a  chaste  man 
4  feels  when  he  is  with  his  beloved  one.  Such  was  the  extreme 

4  pleasantness  suffused  over  me  for  a  long  time  There 

4  came  a  little  chill  over  me,  and  a  sort  of  slight  shiver,  as  if  it 
4  tortured  me  1 

His  Abstraction  in  the  Streets. 

4  Afterwards  I  fell  asleep,  and  saw  one  of  my  acquaintances 
;  at  a  table.  He  saluted  me,  but  I  did  not  observe  him  at 
4  once,  or  return  his  salutation.  He  was  angry,  and  gave  me 
4  some  hard  words.  I  tried  to  excuse  myself,  and  at  last  I 
c  said  I  was  wont  to  be  absent,  and  not  to  observe  when  any 
4  one  saluted  me,  so  as  sometimes  to  pass  my  friends  in  the 
4  street  without  seeing  them.  I  appealed  to  another  acquaiut- 
4  ance,  who  was  present  in  confirmation  of  this,  and  he  said  it 
4  was  the  case.  I  further  said,  that  no  one  could  (and  (rod 
4  grant  it  may  be  so  ! )  be  more  polite  and  humble  than  I  .  .  . 

4 10  X  11  April. 

4 ....  I  slept  this  night  upwards  of  eleven  hours,  and  all 
4  the  morning  was  in  my  usual  state  of  inward  delight,  but 
4  combined  with  a  pain,  which  I  thought  might  arise  from  the 
'  power  of  the  Spirit  and  my  own  unworthiness.  At  last,  by 
4  God's  assistance,  the  thought  prevailed,  that  one  must  be 
4  satisfied  with  what  the  Lord  pleases,  because  it  is  His 
4  business  

4 1  am  still  weak  in  my  body  and  mind,  for  I  know  nothing, 
4  but  my  own  unworthiness,  and  that  I  am  a  wretched  creature, 
4  which  torments  me.  I  thus  perceive  how  unworthy  I  am  of 
'  the  mercy  I  have  received. 

p 


210 


PERPLEXITY  FROM  DOT  RLE  THOrr.HTS. 


4  I  learned,  that  a  man  can  suffer  spiritual  anguish 

4  ■iflwngii  he  is  assured  by  the  Spirit  of  having  obtained 
4  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  has  the  hope  and  assurance  of  God's 
1  grace. 

'  12  x  13  April. 

f  When  I  had  risen,  I  was  in  great  fear  before  the 

4  Lord,  as  in  a  chill ;  this  was  God's  grace,  shewing 

4  me,  that  with  fear  and  trembling  I  had  to  seek  salvation. 
1  As  my  motto  is,  44  Thy  will  be  done,  I  am  Thine  and  not 
* 1  mine,"  so  I  have  given  myself  to  our  Lord,  that  He  may 
4  deal  with  me  according  to  His  good  pleasure.  In  the  body 
1  there  was  something  of  discontent,  but  in  the  spirit  I  was 
4  glad  

1  I  was  continually  in  a  combat  with  double  thoughts.  I 
4  pray  Thee,  O  Almighty  God,  that  I  may  obtain  the  grace  to 
4  be  Thine  and  not  mine.  Forgive  me  for  saying,  that  I  am 
4  Thine  and  not  mine ;  even  this  does  not  belong  to  me,  but 
4  to  God.  I  pray  only  for  the  grace,  that  I  may  be  able  to  be 
4  Thine  and  not  to  be  left  to  myself. 

4  13  X  U. 

'  Thought  how  the  grace  of  the  Spirit  the  whole  night 
4  wrought  with  me.  I  saw  Hedvig,  my  sister,  with  whom  I 
4  would  have  nothing  to  do,  which  signifies,  that  I  ought  pot  to 
4  busy  myself  with  the  Animal  Economy,  but  to  have  it  

f  The  whole  day  I  was  in  double  thought-,  whieh  tried  to 
4  destroy  the  spiritual  life,  as  it  were  with  settling,  so  that  the 
1  temptation  was  very  strong.  By  the  grace  of  the  Spirit,  I 
4  succeeded  in  fixing  my  thoughts  on  a  tree,  then  on  the  Cross 
4  of  Christ  and  on  Christ  crucified.     As  often  as  I  did  so,  the 

4  thoughts  fell  down  flat  of  themselves  God  be  praised, 

4  Who  gave  me  such  a  weapon.  May  God  of  His  grace 
4  grant,  that  I  mav  alwavs  have  my  crucified  Saviour  before 
•  my  eyes.    I  dare  not  look  upon  my  Jesus,  Him  I  had  seen,' 


DREAMS  OF  WOMEN. 


211 


(as  in  Vision  of  6  X  7  April)  4  for  I  am  an  unworthy  sinner. 
4  I  rather  ought  to  fall  on  my  face,  and  it  is  Jesus,  who  then 
4  lifts  me  to  look  upon  Christ  crucified. 

4 14  X  15  April. 

4 1  seemed  to  move  quickly  down  a  stair-case.  I  only 
4  slightly  touched  the  steps,  but  I  got  down  safely.  There 
4  came  a  voice  from  my  dear  father,  44  You  are  creating  alarm, 
4  4  Emanuel."  He  said  it  was  wrong,  but  would  let  it  pass. 
4  This  denotes,  that  yesterday  I  had  made  too  free  use  of  the 
4  Cross  of  Christ,  yet  it  was  of  God's  grace,  that  I  escaped 
4  the  danger  

4  Dr.  Morsus  appeared  to  be  courting  a  handsome  girl,  and 
4  she  allowed  him  to  do  with  her  what  he  liked.  I  joked  with 
4  her  because  of  her  easy  consent.  She  was  a  handsome  girl, 
4  and  grew  taller  and  prettier.  This  means,  that  I  should 
4  obtain  information  and  meditate  about  the  muscles. 

4 1  had  an  extraordinary  deep  and  long  sleep  for  twelve 
4  hours.  When  I  awoke  I  had  the  crucified  Jesus  and  His 
4  Cross  before  my  eyes.  The  Spirit  came  with  high,  holy  and 
4  extatic  life,  and  raised  me  higher  and  higher,  so  that  if  I 
4  had  ascended  further  I  should  have  dissolved  away  in  mere 

'j°y  

4 15  X  16. 

4 1  appeared  to  climb  up  a  ladder  from  a  great  depth. 
4  After  me  followed  women,  whom  I  knew.  I  kept  quiet  and 
4  frightened  them  on  purpose.  Then  went  up  and  reached  a 
4  green  wall,  where  I  lay  down.  They  followed  me,  and  I 
4  saluted  them.  One  was  young,  the  other  a  little  older,  who 
4  lay  down  at  my  side.  I  kissed  the  hands  of  both,  being  at  a 
4  loss  to  know  which  I  should  love.     It  signifies  my  thoughts, 

4  and  the  works  of  my  mind  in  a  double  aspect  

4  T  went  to  the  Ambassador  Preis,  and  he  went 

p  2 


212        FEARFUL  DREAMS  AHD   LN1CI0U6  THOUGHTS. 


L  to  Pastor  Pombo,  to  ask  him  if  I  might  again  receive  the 

4  Lord's  Sapper,  which  was  granted  I  dined  the 

4  same  day  with  Preis,  but  had  no  appetite. 

1  The  17th  was  at  the  Lord's  Supper  with  Pastor  Pombo. 

4  17  X  18  April. 

•  I  had  horrible  dreams  :  how  an  executioner  roasted  the 
'  heads,  which  he  had  struck  off,  and  hid  them  one  alter 
k  another  in  an  oven,  which  was  never  tilled.  It  was  said  to 
'  be  his  food.  He  was  a  big  woman,  who  laughed,  and  had  a 
4  little  girl  with  her. 

4  Afterwards,  how  the  Evil  One  brought  me  to  several  deep 
\  places,  and  bound  me.  I  do  not  remember  it  all.  Was  cast 
4  bound  into  Hell. 

1  How  a  great  procession  was  drawn  up,  from  which  I  was 
!  excluded.  How  I  strove  to  get  into  it,  but  was  drawn 
1  back  

4  As  I  am  confident,  that  God  bestows  His  grace  and 
4  mercy  on  all  poor  sinners,  who  desire  to  be  converted,  and 
1  with  stedfast  faith  take  refuge  in  His  inconceivable  mcrci- 
4  fulness  and  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour,  I  also 
1  feel  assured  of  His  grace,  and  leave  myself  to  His  protection, 
k  believing  with  assurance,  that  I  have  God's  forgiveness  for 
1  my  sins,  which  is  my  consolation  ;  which  may  God,  for  J esus 
4  Christ's  sake,  strengthen. 

£  I  was  this  day  now  and  then  in  interior  anxieties,  and 
'sometimes  in  despair,  though  assured  of  the  forgivem  —  of 

4  my  sins  In  the  night  I  slept  beyond  ten  hours. 

4  By  God's  grace  I  have  had  a  preternatural  sleep ;  as  also 
4  during  the  whole  half  year. 

'18  X  U>. 

4  It  appeared,  that  we  worked  a  long  while  t<>  take  a  chest, 

*  in  which  there  were  precious  things.    We  were  a  long  while 

•  as  if  it  had  been  the  siege  of  Troy.    At  last,  one  went  under- 


A  HAPPY  ASSURANCE, 


213 


1  neath  and  raised  it,  and  it  was  then  borne  in  as  conquered, 
4  and  we  sawed  and  sawed.  It  signifies  how  one  has  to  work 
w  to  conquer  Heaven. 

1 1  seemed  to  have  a  plain  watch  with  me,  but  at  home, 
4  valuable  watches,  which  I  would  not  exchange  for  gold  ones. 
4  It  shows,  that  I  am  likely  to  acquire  knowledge  of  a  nobler 
4  kind,  on  which  to  employ  my  time  

4  I  was  at  Divine  service,  and  in  thoughts  about  Christ, 

4  His  merits,  and  the  like  Faith  appeared  to  be  far 

k  above  the  thoughts  of  my  understanding.    Then  only  I  got 

k  peace  I  do  not  know  if  it  be  not  the  highest  gift  to 

1  have  one's  understanding  kept  from  meddling  with  Faith. 
1  However  the  Lord  permits  it  in  some,  that  assurances  of  the 
4  understanding  should  precede  Faith.  Happy  are  they,  who 
4  believe  and  do  not  see !    This  I  have  clearly  written  in  the 

4  Prologue  to  The  Animal  Kingdom  I  see  how  difficult 

4  it  is  for  the  Learned,  far  more  than  the  Unlearned,  to  come 
4  to  this  Faith,  and  become  elevated  above  themselves,  and 
1  laugh  at  their  own  littleness ;  for  adoration  of  their  own  in-* 
1  telligence  must  in  the  first  place  be  taken  away  and  destroyed, 
4  which  is  the  work  of  God  and  not  of  man  

4  That  Faith  only  is  God's  gift,  which  man  receives  when 
4  he  lives  according  to  God's  commandments,  and  thus  per- 
1  severingly  prays  to  Him  for  it  

4  19  X  20  April. 

4  I  kept  my  hands  together ;  on  awakening 

¥  they  seemed  to  me  to  be  pressed  together  by  a  hand  or  a 
4  finger,  which  signifies,  God  grant  it,  that  He  has  heard  my 
4  prayers  

4 1  rose  up  now  wholly  God's ;  God  be  thanked  and  praised. 
4  I  will  not  be  my  own.  I  am  certain  and  confident,  that  Thou, 
4  O  God,  lettest  me  be  Thine  in  all  the  days  of  my  life,  and 
4  that  Thou  dost  not  take  Thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me,  Which 
4  strengthens  and  upholds  me. 


214 


RENEWED  T  E  M  PT  A  TIG  N  S . 


4  This  day  I  was  in  a  very  strong  temptation,  so  that  when- 
4  ever  I  thought  about  Jesus  Christ  impious  thoughts  thrust 
4  themselves  in,  and  I  was  unable  to  control  them  as  I  wished. 
4 1  conquered  myself,  but  I  can  affirm  I  never  was  in  better 
4  spirits  than  to-day,  and  not  in  the  least  cast  down,  or  trembling 
4  as  on  other  days,  though  the  temptation  was  most  strong. 
4  The  Lord  gave  me  powerful  confidence,  that  He  will  help  mo 
4  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  promise,  so  that  I  then 
4  experienced,  what  is  the  effect  of  such  Faith.  I  was  also  so 
4  intensely  angry  with  Satan,  that  I  wished  to  fight  him  with 
4  the  weapons  of  this  Faith  

4  21  X  22  April. 

4  Afterwards  I  came  into  doubt,  feeling  myself  so 

4  widely  separated  from  Him,  that  I  thought  whether  I  should 

4  not  return  home  But  I  took  courage,  and  found,  that 

4 1  had  come  here  to  do  my  best  and  further  God's  honour ; 
4  that  I  had  got  talents,  and  that  everything  aided  me,  God's 
•4  Spirit  having  been  with  me  from  my  youth  up.  I  should 
4  consider  myself  unworthy  of  existence,  if  I  should  venture  to 
4  walk  in  any  but  the  right  way ;  and  so  I  laughed  at  these 
'seducing  thoughts. 

4  As  to  the  luxury,  riches  and  honours,  at  which  I  had 
4  aimed,  I  now  think  them  empty  vanities,  and  that  the  man  is 
4  happier,  who  has  none  of  them,  and  lives  contented  

4  22  x  23. 

4 1  had  troublesome  dreams  about  dogs,  that  were  said  to 
4  be  my  countrymen,  and  which  sucked  my  neck  without 

4  biting  In  the  morning  I  had  horrid  thoughts,  that 

4  the  Evil  One  had  got  hold  of  me,  yet  with  the  confidence, 
4  that  he  was  outside  of  me  and  would  let  me  go.  Then  I  fell 
4  into  the  most  damnable  thoughts,  the  worst  that  could  be. 
4  Then  Jesus  Christ  was  presented  vividly  to  my  interior  sight, 
4  and  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  came  over  me,  and  T 
4  knew  from  this  that  the  Devil  had  gone  away. 


STRANGE  DREAMS. 


215 


4  The  day  after  this  I  was  now  and  then  in  combat,  and  in 
4  double  thoughts  and  strife.  In  the  afternoon,  I  was  mostly 
4  in  pleasant  spirits  and  thought  of  God,  though  I  was  in 
4  worldly  business.    I  was  then  travelling  to  Ley  den. 

4  23  X  24  April,  at  Leyden. 

4 1  seemed  to  be  fighting  with  a  woman  in  flight,  who 
4  drove  me  into  the  sea  and  out  again ;  at  last  I  struck  her 
1  with  a  plate  on  the  forehead  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  bore 
4  upon  her  face,  until  she  seemed  to  be  overcome.  It  signifies 
4  my  struggles  and  my  combat  with  my  thoughts,  which  I 
4  had  vanquished  

4  Afterwards  I  fell  asleep  awhile,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
4  that  a  quantity  of  oil  mixed  with  some  mustard  was  floating 
4  about.  This  may  denote  my  future  way  of  life,  or  it  may 
4  be  pleasure  mixed  with  adversity,  or  it  may  signify  some 
4  medicine  intended  for  me  

4  24  x  25,  in  Amsterdam. 
4 1  was  the  whole  night,  nearly  11  hours,  neither  asleep 
4  nor  awake,  in  a  curious  trance.    I  knew  all  the  while,  that  I 
4  dreamed,  but  my  thoughts  were  kept  bound,  which  made  me 
4  sweat  

4  25  X  26. 

4  A  woman  and  a  man  appeared  sitting  in  a  boat  ready 
4  for  sailing.  One  had  my  cap,  which  I  took  from  him.  He 
4  shewed  me  the  way  to  a  beautiful  room  where  there  was 
4  some  wine.  It  signifies  perhaps  that  I  shall  take  my  work 
4  to  England  

4  26  X  27  at  the  Hague. 
4 1  had  a  pleasant  sleep  for  11  hours  with  various  repre- 
sentations.   A  married  woman  persecuted  me,  but  I  escaped. 
4  It  signifies,  that  the  Lord  saves  me  from  persecution  and 
4  temptation. 


216      NATURAL  SCIENCE  T« »  BE  LEET  WO*  SPIRITUAL. 


4  A  married  woman  desired  to  possess  me,  but  I  preferred 
4  an  unmarried.  She  was  angry  and  chased  me,  but  I  got 
4  hold  of  the  one  I  liked.  I  was  with  her.  and  loved  her: 
1  perhaps  it  signifies  my  thoughts. 

1  There  was  a  woman  with  much  and  beautiful  property, 
1  in  which  we  walked,  and  she  wished  to  marry  me.  It  is 
4  Piety,  and  I  think  also  Wisdom,  who  owned  the  estate.  I 
4  was  with  her,  and  shewed  her  mv  love  in  mv  n-ual  war :  it 
4  appeared  to  be  before  marriage.' 

He  is  not  to  read  Theology. 

4  It  was  also  shewn  me,  that  I  ought  not  to  pollute  myself 
1  with  the  books  of  others  concerning  Theology  and  kindred 
4  matters  ;  because  all  this  I  have  in  God*3  Word  and  from 
1  the  Holy  Spirit. 

4  28  X  29  April. 

4  V 1 1  this  I  think  appears  to  mean,  that  I  ought 

4  to  apply  the  time  left  me  to  higher  purposes,  and  not  to 
'  write  on  worldly  matters,  but  rather  on  those,  which  belong 
4  to  the  very  centre  of  all  and  have  reference  to  Christ.  May 
4  God  enlighten  me  more  about  my  duties,  for  I  am  as  yet 
4  somewhat  in  the  dark  as  to  what  direction  I  ought  to 
4  take  

4  30  April,  1  May. 

4  My  deceased  brother  Eliezer  appeared  to  be 

4  with  me.  He  was  attacked  by  a  boar,  which  laid  hold  of 
'  him  and  bit  him.  I  tried  to  drag  the  boar  down  with  a 
'  hook,  but  was  not  able.  After  this  I  went  up  and  saw  him 
1  lying  between  two  boars,  which  were  eating  his  head,  and  he 
4  got  nobody  to  help  him.  I  ran  pa-t.  I  Udieve  it  signihVs, 
1  that  the  day  before  I  had  indulged  too  much  in  eating  and 
4  consumed  abundantly,  which  is  a  work  of  the  flesh  and  not 
4  of  the  Spirit ;  it  is  living  like  swine,  which  Paul  forbids. 


LEAVES  HOLLAND  FOR  ENGLAND. 


217 


1  The  day  after  I  took  care,  but  I  fell  into  a  somewhat 
L  strong  temptation.  I  was  in  a  strange  temper,  and  as  it 
c  were  anxiety,  about  the  future  restraint  of  my  appetite.  I 
4  was  however  soon  delivered  after  praying  and  singing  a 
c  psalm :  the  more  so  as  I  intend  to  be  no  longer  mine  own, 
(  but  to  live  as  a  new  man  in  Christ. 

J  For  several  days  I  was  in  spiritual  anxiety  without  being 
L  able  to  tell  the  cause,  though  I  seemed  to  be  assured  of  God's 
'  mercy ;  but  in  the  afternoon  I  was  in  a  very  pleasing  mood 
1  and  in  spiritual  peace.' 

Here  ends  the  Diary  in  Holland.  The  next  entry  records 
his  departure  from  the  Hague  on  the  13th  of  May  for  England, 
but  without  assigning  any  reason  for  his  change  of  abode. 

i  At  Harwich,  on  my  arrival  in  England,  I  slept  only  a 
1  few  hours,  and  there  appeared  then  much,  which  may  have 
L  reference  to  my  work  here.  It  was  the  4x5  May  according 
c  to  the  English  Kalendar.' 

The  entries  made  in  England  are  much  more  mysterious 
than  those  made  in  Holland,  and  the  difficulty  is  frequently 
great  to  disentangle  dream  and  vision  from  reality :  for  in- 
stances, take  these  passages  with  which  the  English  portion 
opens — 

1 1.  I  lost  a  bank  note,  and  the  finder  got  only  9d.  for  it. 
J  Another  found  a  similar  note,  and  sold  it  for  9d.  only.  I 
1  joked  about  it,  saying  it  was  only  mock  piety:  probably  it 
4  shows  of  what  quality  people  are  in  England,  part  of  them 
4  honest,  part  dishonest. 

4  2.  There  were  some  who  admired  my  engravings,  as 
4  being  beautifully  executed,  and  wished  to  see  my  sketches, 
4  as  if  I  were  able  to  sketch  as  well.  It  may  mean  that  my 
4  works  are  approved  of,  and  they  think  me  not  their  author. 

'3.  A  little  letter  came  into  my  hands,  for  which  I  paid 
4  9d.    When  I  opened  it,  I  found  a  large  book  with  clean 

4  paper,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  beautiful  drawings  On 

£  the  left  side  a  woman  was  sitting,  and  moved  to  the  right 


218 


THOUGHTS  AND  VISIONS  IN  LONDON. 


4  side  find  turned  the  leaves,  when  the  drawings  came  forth. 
4  The  woman  had  a  very  large  neck,  quite  bare,  her  skin  was 
4  bright  as  if  it  had  been  polished,  and  on  her  thumb  she  had 
4  a  miniature  painting.  This  perhaps  signifies  that,  with  God's 
4  help,  I  shall  have  a  number  of  beautiful  drawings  executed 
4  for  my  work,  and  that  henceforth  my  speculations  will  be 
4  turned  a  priori,  instead  of  a  posteriori  as  heretofore  

4  5  X  6  May}  in  London. 

4 1  got  blows  from  a  big  man,  which  I  took  to  account. 
4  Then  I  was  told  to  sit  on  a  horse  and  ride  at  the  side  of  the 
4  carriage,  but  the  horse  turned  his  head,  took  hold  of  my  head 
4  and  held  it.  I  do  not  know  what  it  means.  I  suppose,  I 
4  have  done  some  wrong  to  a  devout  Shoemaker,  who  had  been 
4  with  me  on  my  journey,  and  at  whose  house  I  then  had 
4  lodgings,  or  that  I  have  neglected  my  work. 

4  Sum  of  Sums. — 1.  We  only  attain  salvation  by  mercy. 
4  2.  The  mercy  is  in  Jesus  Christ,  Who  is  the  mercy-seat. 
4  3.  Salvation  is  promoted  through  love  to  God  in  Christ. 
4  4.  Then  a  man  allows  himself  to  be  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
4  Christ.  5.  All  that  comes  of  ourselves  is  dead  and  nothing 
4  but  sin,  and  worthy  of  condemnation.  6.  No  good  can  be 
4  derived  anywhere  else  than  from  the  Lord. 

4  19  X  20.' 

Comfort  followed  hy  Distress. 

4  On  the  20th  I  intended  going  to  the  Lord's  Supper  in 
4  the  Swedish  Church,'  (Princes  Square,  east  of  the  Tower) 
4  but,  just  before,  I  had  fallen  into  many  corrupt  thoughts,  and 
4  my  body  is  in  continuous  rebellion,  which  was  also  repre- 

4  scnted  to  me  by  froth,  which  had  to  be  wiped  away  

4  The  day  before  I  enjoyed  internal  quiet  and  content  in  my 
4  lot  as  appointed  by  the  Lord.  I  felt  the  strong  work  of  the 
{  Holy  Spirit  and  a  pleasure  as  of  Paradise  in  mv  whole  body.' 


WOMEN  AND  MORAVIANS. 


219 


Danger  among  Women. 

4 1  nevertheless  could  not  refrain  from  going  after  women, 
4  though  not  with  the  intention  of  committing  acts,  especially 
4  as  in  my  dreams  I  saw  it  was  so  much  against  the  law  of  God. 

4 1  went  to  certain  places  with  Professor  Ohlreck  In 

4  one  day  I  was  twice  in  danger  of  my  life,  so  that  if  God  had 
4  not  been  my  protector  I  should  have  lost  my  life.  The 
1  particulars  I  refrain  from  describing.' 

The  Intense  Inward  Joy  (same  date). 
4  However  the  inward  joy  continued  so  strongly,  especially 
4  when  I  was  alone  in  the  morning,  noon,  and  evening,  that 
4  it  may  be  likened  to  heavenly  joy  brought  to  earth.  This 
4  joy  I  hope  to  keep  as  long  as  through  the  Lord's  grace  I 
4  walk  in  pure  ways  and  keep  the  right  path  in  view ;  for  if  I 
4  turn  aside  and  seek  delight  in  worldly  things,  the  joy  dis- 
4  appears  1 

The  Moravian  Brethren  in  Fetter  Lane. 

4  By  several  providential  leadings  I  was  brought  to  the 
4  Church  of  the  Moravian  Brethren,  who  regard  themselves  as 
4  the  true  Lutherans.  They  tell  each  other,  that  they  feel  the 
4  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  trust  only  in  the  grace  of 
4  God,  and  the  blood  and  merits  of  Christ.  They  are  siniple- 
4  minded  in  their  doings.  I  shall  say  more  about  them  another 
4  time,  for  as  yet  I  am  not  permitted  to  enter  into  brotherhood 
4  with  them.  Their  church  was  represented  to  me  three  months 
4  before,  just  as  I  have  seen  it  since,  and  all  the  Brethren  were 
4  dressed  as  clergymen.' 

Here  the  Diary  breaks  off  from  the  20th  of  May  until  the 
11th  of  June, that  is,  for  three  weeks;  and  in  this  interval  we 
may  take  occasion  to  set  forth  a  curious  narrative  relating  to 
Swedenborg's  conduct  and  state  of  mind  and  connection  with 
the  Moravian  Brethren.  Let  it  be  noted,  that  at  this  time, 
1744,  he  was  lodging  at  the  house  of  one  Brockmcr  in  Fetter 


220         MATHESIUS,  BROCKMEK,  AXI>  SWB&ENBORG. 


Lane,  which  lane  eonnects  Holhorn  with  Fleet  Street,  and  in 
whieli  the  Moravian  meeting-house  was  and  remains  situated. 

Our  story  is  derived  from  the  Rev.  Axon  Mathesius,*  who 
in  1 766,  fonr-and-twenty  years  after  our  present  date,  came 
from  Sweden  to  London  to  officiate  in  the  Swedish  Chapel. 
Hearing  much  of  Swedenborg's  Spiritualism,  which  he  is  said 
to  have  held  in  high  contempt,  through  accident  or  search  he 
came  across  Brockmer,  who  was  still  living  in  Fetter  Lane, 
and  led  him  off  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Bnrgman,  the  Minister  of 
the  German  Church  in  the  Savoy,  and  in  Burgman's  presence 
drew  from  Brockmcr's  lips  the  statement  we  subjoin. 

Mathesius  some  years  afterwards  gave  the  Rev.  John 
Wesley  a  copy  of  Brockmer 's  narration,  which  Wesley  printed 
in  his  Arminian  Magazine  for  January,  1781.  We  have  also 
in  manuscript,  in  Swedish,  the  story  directly  from  Mathesius's 
own  hand.  This  I  have  had  translated,  and  from  it  print. 
With  the  exception  of  two  or  three  extra  details  it  is  precisely 
the  same  as  that  given  in  the  Arminian  Magazine.  Wesley 
introduces  it  to  his  readers  with  this  preface — 

4  Arminian  Magazine" 
c  Januar?/,  1  781. 

1  A?i  Account  of  Baron  Swedenborg. 
4  The  following  account  of  a  very  great  man,  was  given 


*  '  Rev.  Aron  Mathesius,  born  at  Pyhajocke,  in  Finland,  25th  November, 
1 1 736.  '  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Nils  Mathesius,  who  had  25  children,  of 
'whom  Aron  was  the  youngest.  His  father  died  1740.  After  attending 
1  school  at  Ulleaborg,  he  became  student  at  Upsala,  1754 ;  Phil.  Dr.  there, 
'  1764.  During  three  years  tutor  to  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Noring.  Ordained 
'at  Abo,  1767.  Came  to  London,  1763,  and  assisted  Pastor  Ferclius,  and 
•  officiated  also  some  time  at  the  Danish  Church.  Was  appointed  Minister  of 
1  the  Swedish  Church,  and  Chaplain  to  the  Embassy,  1st  November,  1773. 
'  Resigned  this  place  and  returned  to  Sweden,  1784,  where  he  lived  on  a 
'  private  estate  till  1805,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Rectory  of  Foglas, 
'in  the  diocese  of  Skara.  Died  29th  November,  1809.  Married,  1789,  and 
'had  two  children,  one  son  and  one  daughter,  who  are  both  living.' — 
A»teckn!)u/(tr  rnniin/r  Srsnska  Kyrkon  i  London,  af  Q,  M*.  CbrlfOn.  Stockholm, 
1852,  p.  153. 


brockmer's  story-. 


221 


4  me  by  one  of  his  own  countrymen.  He  is  now  in  London, 
4  as  is  Mr.  Brockmer  also,  and  ready  to  attest  every  part  of  it. 
4  In  the  Baron's  writings  there  are  many  excellent  things :  but 
4  there  are  many  likewise  which  are  whimsical  to  the  last  degree. 
4  And  some  of  these  may  do  hurt  eyen  to  serious  persons, 
4  whose  imaginations  are  stronger  than  their  judgements.' 

Brockmer s  Narrative. 

1  In  the  vear  1743,*  one  of  the  Moravian  Brethren,  named 
4  SenifF,  made  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Emanuel  Swedenborg 
4  while  they  were  passengers  in  a  post-yacht  from  Holland  to 
4  England.  Mr.  Swedenborg,  who  was  a  God-fearing  man, 
4  wished  to  be  directed  to  some  house  in  London,  where  he 
4  might  live  quietly  and  economically.  Mr.  Seniff  brought 
4  him  to  me,  and  I  cheerfully  took  him  in. 

1  Mr.  Swedenborg  behayed  yery  properly  in  my  house. 
4  Every  Sunday  he  went  to  the  church  of  the  Moravian 
4  Brothers  in  Fetter  Lane.  He  kept  solitary,  yet  came  often 
1  to  me,  and  in  talking  expressed  much  pleasure  in  hearing  the 
4  Gospel  in  London.  So  he  continued  for  several  months 
4  approving  of  what  he  heard  at  the  chapel. 

4  One  day  he  said  to  me,  he  was  glad,  the  Gospel  was 
4  preached  to  the  poor,  but  complained  of  the  learned  and  rich 
4  who,  he  thought,  must  go  to  Hell.  Under  this  idea  he 
4  continued  several  months.  He  told  me  he  was  writing  a 
4  small  Latin  book,  which  would  be  gratuitously  distributed 
4  among  the  learned  men  in  the  Universities  of  England. 

4  After  this  he  did  not  open  the  door  of  his  chamber  for 
4  two  days,  nor  allow  the  maid-servant  to  make  the  bed  and 
4  dust  as  usual. 

4  One  evening  when  I  was  in  a  coffee-house,  the  maid  ran 
4  in  to  call  me  home,  saying,  that  something  strange  must  have 


*  Should  be  1744. 


222 


BROCK  MERS  STORY. 


4  happened  to  Mr.  Swedenborg.  She  had  several  times  knocked 
4  at  his  door  without  his  answering,  or  opening  it. 

I  Upon  this  I  went  home,  and  knocked  at  his  door,  and 
4  called  him  by  name.  He  then  jumped  out  of  bed,  and  I  asked 
'  him  if  he  would  not  allow  the  servant  to  enter  and  make  his 
4  bed?  He  answered,  u  Xo,"  and  desired  to  be  left  alone,  for 
4  he  had  a  great  work  on  hand. 

4  This  was  about  nine  in  the  evening.  Leaving  his  door 
4  and  going  up  stairs,  he  rushed  up  after  me,  making  a  fearful 
4  appearance.  His  hair  stood  upright,  and  he  foamed  round 
4  the  mouth.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  could  not  utter  his 
4  thoughts,  stammering  long  before  he  could  get  out  a  word. 

4  At  last  he  said,  that  he  had  something  to  confide  to  me 
4  privately,  namely,  That  he  was  Messiah,  that  he  was  come 
4  to  be  crucified  for  the  Jews,  and  that  I  (since  he  spoke  with 
1  difficulty)  should  be  his  spokesman,  and  go  with  him  to- 
4  morrow  to  the  Synagogue,  there  to  preach  his  words. 

4  He  continued,  u  I  know  you  are  an  honest  man,  for  I  am 
4 4  sure  you  love  the  Lord,  but  I  fear  you  believe  me  not." 

I I  now  began  to  be  afraid,  and  considered  a  long  time  ere 
c  I  replied.    At  last,  I  said, 

4  4  You  are  Mr.  Swedenborg,  a  somewhat  aged  man,  and 
4  4  as  you  tell  me,  have  never  taken  medicine ;  wherefore  I 
4  1  think  some  of  a  right  sort  would  do  you  good.  Dr.  Smith 
4  4  is  near,  he  is  your  friend  and  mine,  let  us  go  to  him,  and  he 
4  4  will  give  you  something  fitted  for  your  state.  Yet  I  shall 
1 4  make  this  bargain  with  you,  if  the  Angel  appears  to  me  and 
4  4  delivers  the  message  you  mention,  I  shall  obey  the  same. 
4  4  If  not,  you  shall  go  with  me  to  Dr.  Smith  in  the  morning." 

4  He  told  me  several  times  the  Angel  would  appear  to  me,* 
4  whereupon  we  took  leave  of  each  other  and  went  to  bed. 


*  "  I  know  you  are  a  good  man,  but  I  suspect  you  will  not  believe  me. 
**  Therefore  the  Angel  will  appear  at  your  bedside  early  in  the  morning, 
u  then  y<>u  will  believe  inc.*' — Version  in  the  Arminian  Magazine. 


brockmer's  story. 


223 


4  In  expectation  of  the  Angel  I  could  not  sleep,  but  lay 
4  awake  the  whole  night.  My  wife  and  children  were  at  the 
4  same  time  very  ill,  which  increased  my  anxiety.  I  rose  about 
4  5  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

i  As  soon  as  Mr.  Swedenborg  heard  me  move  over-head 
4  he  jumped  out  of  bed,  threw  on  a  gown,  and  ran  in  the 
4  greatest  haste  up  to  me,  with  his  night-cap  half  on  his  head, 
4  to  receive  the  news  about  my  call. 

4 1  tried  by  several  remarks  to  prepare  his  excited  mind 
4  for  my  answer.  He  foamed  and  cried  again  and  again, 
44  But  how — how — how?"  Then  I  reminded  him  of  our 
4  agreement  to  go  to  Dr.  Smith.  At  this  he  asked  me  straight 
4  down,  44  Came  not  the  vision?"  I  answered, 44  No  ;  and  now 
44 1  suppose  you  will  go  with  me  to  Dr.  Smith."  He  replied, 
44 1  will  not  go  to  any  Doctor." 

4  He  then  spoke  a  long  while  to  himself.  At  last  he  said, — 
44 1  am  now  associating  with  two  Spirits,  one  on  the  right 
44  hand  and  the  other  on  the  left.  One  asks  me  to  follow  you, 
44  for  you  are  a  good  fellow ;  the  other  says  I  ought  to  have 
44  nothing  to  do  with  you  because  you  are  good  for  nothing." 

4 1  answered,  44  Believe  neither  of  them,  but  let  us  thank 
44  God,  Who  has  given  us  power  to  believe  in  His  Word." 

4  He  then  went  down  stairs  to  his  room,  but  returned 
4  immediately,  and  spoke,  but  so  confusedly  that  he  could  not 
4  be  understood.  I  began  to  be  frightened,  suspecting  that  he 
4  might  have  a  penknife  or  other  instrument  to  hurt  me.  In 
4  my  fear  I  addressed  him  seriously,  requesting  him  to  walk 
4  down  stairs,  as  he  had  no  business  in  my  room. 

4  Then  Mr.  Swedenborg  sat  down  in  a  chair  and  wept  like 
4  a  child,  and  said,  44  Do  you  believe,  that  I  will  do  you  any 
44  harm?"  I  also  began  to  weep.  It  commenced  to  rain 
4  very  hard. 

4  After  this  I  dressed.  When  I  came  down  I  found  Mr. 
4  Swedenborg  also  dressed,  sitting  in  an  arm-chair  with  a 
4  great  stick  in  his  hand  and  the  door  open.     He  called, 


224 


BROCK MER'S  STORY. 


u  Come  in,  come  in,"  and  waved  the  stick.  I  wanted  to 
1  get  a  coach,  but  Mr.  Swedenborg  would  not  accompany  me. 

4  I  then  went  to  Dr.  Smith,  Mr.  Swedenborg's  intimate 
1  friend,  and  told  him  what  had  happened  ;  and  asked  also  that 
4  he  would  receive  Mr.  Swedenborg  into  his  house.  He  had 
4  however  no  room  for  him,  but  engaged  apartments  for  him 
'  with  Mr.  Michael  Caer,  wig-maker,  in  Warner  Street,  Cold 
4  Bath  Fields,  three  or  four  houses  from  his  own. 

4  Whilst  I  was  with  Dr.  Smith,  Mr.  Swedenborg  went  to 
4  the  Swedish  Envoy,  but  was  not  admitted,  it  being  post-day. 
4  Departing  thence  he  pulled  off  his  clothes  and  rolled  himself 
1  in  very  deep  mud  in  a  gutter.  Then  he  distributed  money 
4  from  his  pockets  among  the  crowd  which  had  gathered.* 

1  In  this  state  some  of  the  foot-men  of  the  Swedish  Envoy 
4  chanced  to  see  him  and  brought  him  to  me  very  foul  with 
4  dirt.  I  told  him  that  a  good  quarter  had  been  taken  for  him 
1  near  Dr.  Smith,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  willing  to  live  there'. 
4  He  answered,  44  Yes." 

4 1  sent  for  a  coach,  but  Mr.  Swedenborg  would  walk,  and 
4  with  the  help  of  two  men  he  reached  his  new  lodging. 

4  Arrived  there,  he  asked  for  a  tub  of  water  and  six 
4  towels,  and  entering  one  of  the  inner  rooms,  locked  the  door, 
4  and  spite  of  all  entreaties  would  not  open  it.  In  fear  lest 
4  he  should  hurt  himself  the  door  was  forced,  when  he  was 
4  discovered  washing  his  feet,  and  the  towels  all  wet.  He 
4  asked  for  six  more. 

4 1  then  went  home,  and  left  six  men  as  guards  over  him. 
4  Dr.  Smith  visited  him,  and  administered  some  medicine, 
4  which  did  him  much  good. 

4  I  went  to  the  Swedish  Envoy,  told  him  what  had  hap- 
4  pened,  and  required  that  Mr.  Swedenborg's  rooms,  in  my 


*  '  He  then  went  to  a  place  called  dully  Hole,  undressed  himself,  rolled 

•  in  a  very  deep  mud,  and  threw  the  money  out  of  his  pockets  among  the 

*  crowd." — Atwumom  MagazUte. 


brocrmers  story. 


225 


4  house,  might  be  sealed.  The  Envoy  was  infinitely  pleased 
4  with  my  kindness  to  Mr.  Swedenborg,  thanked  me  very 
4  much  for  all  my  trouble ;  and  assured  me  that  the  sealing 
4  of  Mr.  Swedenborg's  chambers  was  unnecessary  as  he  had 
4  heard  well  of  me,  and  had  in  me  perfect  confidence. 

4  After  this  I  continued  to  visit  Mr.  Swedenborg,  who  at 
4  last  had  only  one  keeper.  He  many  times  avowed  his 
4  gratitude  for  the  trouble  I  had  with  him.  He  would  never 
4  leave  the  tenet,  however,  that  he  was  Messiah. 

4  One  day  when  Dr.  Smith  had  given  him  a  laxative,  he 
4  went  out  into  the  fields  and  ran  about  so  fast  that  his  keeper 
4  could  not  follow  him.  Mr.  Swedenborg  sat  down  on  a  stile 
4  and  laughed.  When  his  man  came  near  him,  he  rose  and 
4  ran  to  another  stile,  and  so  on. 

4  When  the  dog-days  began,  he  became  worse  and  worse. 
4  Afterwards  I  associated  very  little  with  him.  Now  and 
4  then  we  met  in  the  streets,  and  I  always  found  he  retained 
4  his  former  opinion. ' 

Mathesius  adjoins  to  his  copy  this  testimony — 
4  The  above  account  was  word  by  word  delivered  to  me 
4  by  Mr.  Brockmer,  an  honest  and  trustworthy  man,  in  the 
4  house  and  presence  of  Mr.  Burgman,  Minister  of  the  German 
4  Church,  the  Savoy,  London,  while  Swedenborg  lived. 

4  Aron  Mathesius. 

4  Stora  Hallfara,  27th  August,  1796.' 

Plainly  a  straightforward  and  well  authenticated  story, 
possibly  somewhat  coloured  by  the  influence  of  Mathesius,  and 
by  the  inevitable  treachery  of  a  twenty-four  years'  memory ; 
but  fitting  into  the  incoherences  of  the  Diary  with  singular 
credibility,  and  full  of  touches  characteristic  of  a  timid,  prudent 
and  credulous  London  lodging-house  keeper.  Thanks  are 
due  to  Mathesius  for  his  careful  preservation  of  a  testimony, 
which  else  had  died  with  Brockmer. 

Robert  Hindmarsh,  a  zealous  Swedenborgian,  some  time 

Q 


220 


OOmOEMTfl  01  BROCKMER  ;>  STORY. 


in,  or  after  1783,  accompanied  by  three  friends,  called  on 
Brockmer,  and  questioned  him  very  closely  about  the  tale  lie 
had  told  Mathesius,  reading  it  over  to  him  from  1  The  Armenian 
(  Magazine*  along  with  another  tale,  (which  will  be  presently 
citedj  to  the  great  alarm  and  confusion,  we  apprehend,  of  poor 
Broekmeris  mind.*  Ilindmarsh  professes,  that  Brockmer 
told  him — 

u  To  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  recollection  some 
M  things  in  that  account  are  true,  others  are  absolutely  false, 
u  and  the  whole  is  exaggerated  and  unfairly  stated.  It  is 
u  true,  that  Swedenborg  once  called  himself  the  Messiah,  but 
u  not  true,  that  he  always  persisted  in  it  whenever  I  met  him 
M  afterwards.  It  was  true,  that  his  hair  stood  upright,  for  as 
M  he  wore  a  wig,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  his  hair  cut  short,  in 
M  which  case  any  person's  hair  will  stand  upright ;  but  it  is 
u  not  true,  that  he  looked  frightful  or  wild,  for  he  was  of  a 
M  most  placid  and  serene  disposition.  It  is  true,  that  he  had 
"  an  impediment  in  his  speech,  and  spoke  with  earnestness ; 
u  but  not  true,  that  he  foamed  at  the  mouth." 

Hindmarsh  feeling  how  little  he  was  taking  by  his  motion 
then  addressed  this  wide  question  to  Brockmer — 

M  Supposing  it  to  be  true,  that  Swedenborg  did  actually 
M  BOG  and  converse  with  Angels  and  Spirits. — Did  you  ever 
u  observe  anvthing  in  his  behaviour,  that  might  not  naturally 
M  be  expected  on  such  an  extraordinary  occasion  ?" 

To  which  he  represents  Brockmer  returning  this  accommo- 
dating answer — 

M  If  I  believed  that  to  be  true,  I  should  not  wonder  at 
"  anything  he  said  or  did ;  but  would  rather  wonder,  that  the 
u  suq>rise  he  must  have  felt  on  such  an  occasion,  did  not 

*  The  visit  he  described  hi  a  periodical  of  which  he  was  publisher^ 
entitled,  '  The  Xeic  Magazine  of  Knoirkdge  construing  Heaven  and  HtU,  and 
'  the  Universal  WorUl  of  Nature,  t£r.?  By  a  Society  of  Gentlemen.  Vol.  II, 
p.  92.  March,  1791.  London.  The  interv  iew  with  Br<>ckmer  is  repeated 
by  Ilindmarsh  in  several  works,  and  is  a  stock  quotation  of  Swcdenborgian 
apologists. 


COMMENTS  ON  BROCKMER'S  STORY. 


227 


"  betray  him  into  more  unguarded  expressions  than  were  ever 
"  known  to  escape  him  5  for  he  did  and  said  nothing,  but  what 
"  I  could  easily  account  for  in  my  own  mind,  if  I  really 
"  believed  what  he  declares  in  his  writings  to  be  true." 

Whether  or  not  Hindmarsh  and  his  three  friends  had 
muddled  Brockmer's  memory  with  readings  from  1  The  Ar- 
1  minian Magazine'  and  cross-questioning,  it  is  plain,  on  his  own 
evidence,  that  he  did  nothing  substantially  to  upset  Brockmer's 
testimony  as  delivered  to  Mathesius.  i  Some  things  in  it  were 
4  true,  some  false,  and  the  whole  exaggerated,'  is  evidently  a 
rhetorical  flourish  of  Hindmarsh's ;  for  when  he  condescends 
to  particulars  he  is  only  able  to  make  a  few  trifling  emenda- 
tions as  to  manner,  and  to  adduce  not  anything  which  can  be 
designated  1  absolutely  false.'  Moreover  Hindmarsh  failed  to 
extract  from  Brockmer  under  what  circumstances  he  confided 
to  Mathesius  the  story  about  his  lodger.  His  examination  of 
Brockmer  is  very  unsatisfactory.  In  the  end,  even  in  the 
details  where  they  slightly  differ,  we  can  but  come  to  these 
questions,  Did  Brockmer  speak  the  truth  to  Mathesius,  or  to 
Hindmarsh?  and,  Which  are  we  to  believe,  Mathesius  or 
Hindmarsh  ?  For  us,  Hindmarsh  does  little  more  than  provide 
reasons  for  Mathesius's  substantial  credibility. 

Mathesius  is  reputed  to  have  disliked  Swedenborg,  and 
Swedenborg  Mathesius.*  Hindmarsh  on  the  other  hand  was 
an  out-and-out  Swedenborgian  devotee.  There  was  prejudice 
apparently  on  the  side  of  both ;  but  another  and  a  more 
impartial  witness  we  are  able  to  produce  in  the  person  of  the 
Rev.  Francis  Okely,  a  Moravian  preacher,  who  shortly  before 
Swedenborg's  death  made  his  acquaintance,  and  read  his  books 
with  mingled  approval  and  dissent.  Writing  of  Mathesius's 
story  as  published  by  Wesley  he  remarks : — 

i  There  is  no  denying,  that  in  the  year  1743'  (1744) 

*  When  Swedenborg  was  dying,  it  was  proposed  to  send  for  Mathesius  to 
administer  the  Sacrament,  but  Swedenborg  refused  to  see  him,  preferring 
Ferelius,  another  Swedish  clergyman. 

Q2  . 


228 


COMMENTS  ON  BROCKMER'fl  STORY. 


4  when  Swedenborg  was  first  (as  ho  said)  introduced  into  the 
4  Spiritual  World,  he  was  for  a  while  insane.  He  then  lived 
4  with  Mr.  Brockmer,  as  Mr.  J.  Wesley  has  published  in  his 

4  4  Arminian  Magazine1  for  January,  1781  As  I  rather 

4  suspect  J.  W.'s  narratives,  they  being  always  warped  to  his 
4  own  inclination,  I  inquired  of  Mr.  Brockmer  concerning  it, 
4  and  have  found  all  the  main  lines  of  it  truth.'* 

This,  I  think,  may  be  considered  conclusive  in  favour  of 
the  truthfulness  of  Mathesius. 

We  now  come  to  a  painful  passage  connected  with  this 
affair,  in  which  Wesley  must  be  severely  censured  for  some 
careless  tattle,  by  which  he  brought  down  odium  alike  on 
Swedenborg  and  Mathesius,  and  threw  the  clear  and  honest 
story  of  Brockmer  into  confusion  and  discredit. 

We  have  seen,  that  he  printed  Brockmer's  story  commu- 
nicated to  him  by  Mathesius  in  his  4  Arminian  Magazine  1  for 
January,  1781  ;  and  so  far,  good.  Sundry  Methodists  about 
that  time  had  begun  to  look  into  Swedenborg's  books,  and 
ask  questions  concerning  his  doctrines;  and  Wesley  for  their 
guidance,  at  Wakefield,  in  May,  1782,  drew  up  a  paper,  en- 
titled '  Thoughts  about  Swedenborg in  which  he  ridiculed  and 
contraverted  Swedenborgian  opinions  in  a  very  flippant  and 
silly  manner.  From  press  of  matter,  or  some  other  cause, 
the  article  did  not  make  its  appearance  in  4  The  Arminian 
4  Magazine''  until  the  following  year,  when,  in  the  number  for 
August,  1783,  he  entertained  his  readers  with  his  1  Thoughts  ' 
and  the  following  astounding  version  of  the  Brockmer  story— 

4  Many  years  ago  the  Baron  came  over  to  England,  and 
4  lodged  at  one  Mr.  Brockmer's ;  who  informed  me,  (and  the 
4  same  information  was  given  me  by  Mr.  Mathesius,  a  very 
4  serious  Swedish  clergyman,  both  of  whom  were  alive  when  I 

*  From  the  Rev.  Francis  Okely's  'Reflections  on  Baron  SweiU  nhorrj's 
'  Works,'  printed  in  the  New  York  'New  Jerusalem  Matscngtr'  of  28th 
December,  1861. 


Wesley's  scandal. 


229 


i  left  London,  and,  I  suppose,  are  so  still,)  that  while  he  was 
1  in  his  house  he  had  a  violent  fever ;  in  the  height  of  which, 
'  being  totally  delirous,  he  broke  from  Mr.  Brockmer,  ran  into 
c  the  street  stark  naked,  proclaimed  himself  the  Messiah,  and 
4  rolled  himself  in  the  mire.  I  suppose  he  dates  from  this 
4  time  his  admission  into  the  society  of  Angels.  From  this 
4  time  we  are  undoubtedly  to  date  that  peculiar  species  of 
4  insanity,  which  attended  him,  with  scarce  any  intermission, 
4  to  the  day  of  his  death.'* 

With  the  true  story  of  Brockmer  before  us,  communicated 
to  Wesley  by  Mathesius,  and  printed  by  Wesley  within  three 
years  in  the  same  4 Armiman  Magazine,'  we  ask,  Can  anything 
be  more  discreditable  to  Wesley's  veracity  than  this  second 
story?  It  is  superfluous  at  this  day  to  pay  compliments  to 
Wesley  for  his  zeal,  ability,  and  blessed  labours;  these  are 
universally  confessed ;  but  we  cannot  forget,  that  he  was  a 
sad  gossip,  and  that  truth  was  nearly  certain  to  suffer  when  it 
encountered  his  dislike  or  self-will.  The  instance  before  us  is 
no  more  than  characteristic  of  his  loose  and  unscrupulous 
habit  of  writing  and  speaking. 

Hindmarsh  says  Brockmer  told  him,  44  that  he  had  never 
"  opened  his  mouth  on  the  subject  of  Swedenborg  to  Mr. 
"  Wesley ;"  adding,  44  Swedenborg  was  never  afflicted  with 
44  any  illness,  much  less  a  violent  fever,  while  at  my  house : 
u  nor  did  he  ever  break  from  me  in  a  delirious  state,  and  run 
"  into  the  street  stark  naked,  and  proclaim  himself  the  Messiah. 
"  Perhaps  Mr.  Wesley  may  have  heard  the  report  from  some 
"  other  person ;  and  it  is  well  known,  that  Mr.  Wesley  is  a 
u  very  credulous  man,  and  easily  imposed  upon  by  any  idle 
"  tale,  from  whatever  quarter  it  may  come." 

The  narrative  of  Brockmer  preserved  by  Mathesius  ought 
to  be  kept  entirely  apart  from  Wesley's,  which  is  to  be  con- 
signed, without  hesitation  to  the  refuge  of  lies.  Although 


*  '  Armiman  Magazine,1  1783,  page  438. 


Wesley's  scandal. 


the  attentive  reader  will  at  once  have  discerned  that  the  two 
accounts  have  little  in  common,  yet  they  are  continually 
blended  together,  and  Mathesius  is  even  charged  with  having 
led  Wesley  astray  !  The  late  Rev.  Samuel  Noble,  a  leading 
Swedcnborgian  preacher  and  winter,  declares*  with  a  bold 
ignorance,  which  were  it  less  bitter  might  be  amusing — 

L  It  has  given  much  pain  to  the  receivers  of  the  doctrines, 
1  communicated  in  the  writings  of  Swedenborg,  that  the 
1  circulation  of  the  report  of  his  insanity  should  have  been 
4  materially  promoted  by  a  man  so  much  entitled  to  respect 
1  as  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Wesley.  It  is  however,  certain,  that 
1  in  the  part,  which  that  respectable  person  took  in  the  affair, 
1  he  was  completely  imposed  upon  by  the  minister  of  the 
1  Swedish  Chapel  in  London,  Mr.  Mathesius,  who  was 
1  Swedenborg's  personal  and  violent  enemy.t  ....  The 
4  origin  of  the  story  was  evidently  no  more  than  this  ;  Sweden- 
1  borg  mentioned  freely  to  Brockmer  the  commencement  of 
^  his  spiritual  intercourse :  Brockmer  talked  of  it :  and  from 
4  the  idle  reports  which  thus  got  abroad,  Mathesius,  nearly 
c  forty  years  afterwards,  fabricated  the  tale  with  which  he 
1  imposed  on  Mr.  Wesley.  This  fact  is  alone  sufficient  to  fix 
L  the  brand  of  imposture  on  the  whole  story.' 

Not  content  with  bringing  such  a  gratuitous  charge  of 
L  fabrication'  and  'imposture'  against  Mathesius,  Mr.  Nuble 
next  proceeds  to  assert,  that  Mathesius  himself  went  mad. 


*  In  'An  Appeal  in  behalf  of  the  Views  of  the  Eternal  World  and  State, 
'  and  the  Doctrines  of  Faith  and  Life,  held  by  the  Body  of  Christians,  who 
'  believe,  that  a  New  Church  is  signified  (in  the  Iievclation,  Chap,  xxi.)  by  the 
'  New  Jerusalem :  embracing  Ansicers  to  all  p>rincipal  Objections.'  Third 
edition.  London,  1855,  page  241.  Noble's  '  AppeaV  among  the  Sweden- 
borgians  is  a  book  which  holds  the  same  place  that  Barclay's  '  Apology  ' 
does  among  the  Quakers. 

f  That  Mathesius  was  'Swedenborg's  personal  and  violent  enemy'  is 
merely  an  inference  or  colouring  of  Noble's,  and  one  quite  unwarranted. 
There  is  no  evidence,  that  the  two  men  ever  came  in  contact.  Mathesius 
apparently  had  no  belief  in  Swedenborg's  claims  and  doctrines  and  this 
incredulity  was  in  all  likelihood  the  extent  of  his  aversion. 


COMMENTS  OX  BROCKMERS  STORY. 


231 


With  that  malice,  affecting  reluctance,  in  which  the  pious  are 
such  adepts,  he  observes — 

1  We  are  by  no  means  prone  to  assume  the  distribution  of 
1  Divine  judgements ;  but  it  really  is  difficult  to  avoid  thinking, 
1  that  we  behold  one  here.  All  must  allow  it  to  be  a  remark- 
1  able  coincidence,  that  the  man,  who  first  imputed  insanity  to 
1  Swedenborg,  and  was  the  chief  cause  of  its  being  believed 
4  by  others,  should  himself  have  experienced  the  deplorable 
1  visitation,  and  continued  insane  through  the  remainder  of 

1  his  life   All  the  accounts  agree  :  and  thus  evident  it 

1  is,  that  into  the  pit,  which  this  unhappy  man  digged  for 
4  another,  did  he  fall  himself. ' 

The  1  accounts  which  agree '  are  of  next  to  no  authority 
whatever ;  they  are  three.  The  first  is  the  anonymous  preface 
to  an  i  Abrege  des  Ouvrages  dSEm.  Swedenborg  J  published  at 
Stockholm  in  1788,  in  which  it  is  stated,  that  Mathesius  had 
become  insane,  and  was  then  living  as  a  madman  in  Stockholm; 
the  second,  is  the  assertion  of  Mr.  C.  B.  Wadstrom,  a  Swede, 
resident  in  London,  and  one  of  the  editors  of  an  early  Swe- 
denborgian  publication,  '  TJie  New  Jerusalem  Magazine  /  and 
the  third,  and  very  likely  the  origin  of  the  other  two,  is  the 
testimony  of  Bergstrom,  the  keeper  of  a  Swedish  inn,  the 
King's  Arms,  in  Wellclose  Square,  London,  where  Swedenborg 
once  lodged  for  ten  weeks,  and  was  as  Bergstrom  said,  4  very 
1  generous  to  him.'  Mr.  Provo*  visited  Bergstrom  on  the 
2nd  of  May,  1787,  when  he  says  he  told  him,  that — 

1  Mr.  Mathesius  was  an  opponent  of  Swedenborg,  and 
1  said  that  he  was  a  lunatic ;  but  it  is  remarkable,  that  lie 
'  went  lunatic  himself ;  which  happened  one  day  when  he 
k  was  in  the  Swedish  church,  and  about  to  preach  :  1  was 
i  there  and  saio  it :  he  has  been  so  ever  since,  and  was  sent 


*  Mr.  Peter  Provo,  a  surgeon  in  London,  author  of  a  book  entitled 
4  Wisdom's  Dictates.'  He  collected  from  Bergstrom  and  others  various 
particulars  relating  to  Swedenborg,  which  were  first  published  in  '  The 
'Intellectual  Repository,'-  a  Swedcnborgian  magazine,  in  183G. 


232 


COMMENTS  ON  BROCKMER\s  STORY. 


i  back  to  Sweden,  where  he  now  is  :  this  was  about  four 
1  years  ago.' 

It  is  certainly  of  little  consequence  to  us  at  this  day  whether 
Mathesius  went  mad  or  not ;  and  the  fact  of  his  sanity  or 
insanity  in  1784  in  no  wise  affects  the  truth  of  the  narrative 
he  drew  out  of  Brockmer  about  1770;  yet  one  cannot  see  the 
4  Divine  judgements'  thus  foolishly  and  vindictively  distributed 
on  the  trumpery  evidence  of  an  anonymous  preface,  the  asser- 
tion of  a  Swedenborgian  editor,  and  the  gossip  of  a  publican 
to  whom  Swedenborg  had  been  handsome,  without  at  least 
permitting  the  facts  of  Mathesius's  life  to  speak  for  themselves. 
Mathesius,  neither  by  the  records  of  the  Swedish  Church,  nor 
to  the  knowledge  of  his  relatives  was  ever  insane.  After 
working  and  preaching  for  sixteen  years  in  the  smoke  of  the 
east  of  London  his  health  failed,  and  possibly  Bergstrom  may 
have  seen  him  faint  or  fell  into  a  fit  in  his  chapel,  and  mistake 
some  incoherent  words  for  madness.  In  consequence  of  his 
failing  health,  he  resigned  his  charge  in  1784,  and  returned 
to  country  life,  in  his  native  air,  in  Sweden.  Five  years  sub- 
sequently he  married;  in  1805  he  was  appointed  Rector  of 
Foglas,  a  living  in  Bishop  Svedberg's  diocese  of  Skara ;  and 
died  in  1809  at  the  ripe  age  of  three  score  and  thirteen, 
leaving  behind  him  a  son  and  daughter,  who  yet  survive. 
These  facts  nullify  utterly  the  statement,  that  i  Mathesius 
1  went  lunatic  and  continued  insane  to  the  end  of  his  life.' 
Sweeping  aside,  then,  the  scandal  of  Wesley  against  Sweden- 
borg on  the  one  hand,  and  the  scandal  of  the  Swedcnborgians 
against  Mathesius  on  the  other,  let  us  relate  one  other  story  con- 
nected with  this  period,  and  then  return  to  Swedenborg  himself. 

It  is  derived  from  the  preface  of  a  book*  published  1786, 


*  '  Tableau  Anahjtique  et  Iiaisonne  de  la  Doctrine  Celeste  de  VErjlise  de 
1  la  Nouvelle  Jerusalem,  ou  Precis  des  (En v res  Theologiques  d'  Emanuel 
'Swedenborg,  f/lNr  .Sewiteur  d<>  Srigneur  ./».■?>/-*  ('hri*t.  A  Londres,  *e  trouve 
•  chcz  VAuteur,  No.  ^2.  Tottenham  Court  Road,  1786.' 


chastanier's  story. 


233 


by  Benedict  Chastanier,  a  French  surgeon  resident  in  London. 
Alluding  to  Brockmer's  and  to  Wesley's  stories,  which,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Swedenborgians,  he  mixes  together,  he 
writes — 

4  This  fable  had  its  origin  in  the  following  circumstance : 
4  One  day  Swedenborg,  while  in  his  own  house,  fell  into  a 
4  swoon,  or  a  kind  of  extasy,  or  rapture  of  soul  in  the  presence 
4  of  two  Jews.  They,  profiting  by  his  absence  of  mind,  stole 
4  his  gold  watch.  Awakening,  Swedenborg  quickly  discovered, 
4  that  his  watch  had  been  taken  from  under  the  bolster  of  his 
4  bed,  and  at  once  asked  the  Jews  to  give  it  up.  "  Do  you 
4  44  not  know,"  said  they,  "  that  in  your  trance  you  took  your 
*  u  watch,  went  out  into  the  street,  and  threw  it  into  the 
4  44  gutter?"  Swedenborg  contented  himself  in  answering, 
4  "  My  friends,  you  know  what  you  say  is  false."  Being 
4  afterwards  advised  to  give  the  thieves  up  to  justice,  he 
1  answered,  "  It  is  not  worth  the  trouble.  By  this  action 
4  "  these  good  Israelites  have  wronged  themselves  more  than 
4  u  me.  The  Lord  have  mercy  on  them  !"  An  answer  right 
'  worthy  of  Swedenborg.' 

Chastanier  adduces  the  name  Mr.  C.  Springer,  Swedish 
Consul  in  London,  and  a  friend  of  Swedenborg 's,  in  con- 
firmation of  the  truth  of  this  odd  anecdote.  It  is  too  French 
to  be  quite  credible ;  and  it  certainly  does  not  explain  away 
Brockmcr  any  more  than  does  Mr.  Noble's  more  unscrupulous 
vituperation. 

We  now  resume  the  Diary. 

4  June  11  X  12,  1744.  London. 
4 1  was  in  thoughts  about  those,  who  resist  the  Holy  Spirit, 
1  and  those  who  give  themselves  up  to  the  Spirit's  guidance  

4 15  X  16. 

4  A  representation  of  my  past  life  was  brought  before  me, 
fc  and  also  of  how  I  have  been  walking  among  deep  abysses  on 


234 


THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


4  every  side,  and  how  I  turned  back.  Then  I  came  into  a  very 
4  magnificent  grove  planted  with  most  beautiful  fig  trees  in 
4  perfect  growth  and  order.  On  one  there  appeared  withered 
1  ngs  

4  20  X  21  June. 

1  It  seemed  to  be  under  consideration  whether  I  should  be 
4  admitted  to  the  Society,  or  to  any  of  its  councils.  My  father 
4  came  out  and  told  me,  that  what  I  had  written  about  Provi- 
4  dence  was  most  beautiful.  I  remembered  it  was  only  a 
4  little  treatise.  After  this,  one  night  I  found  myself  in  a 
4  church  but  naked,  with  nothing  on  but  my  shirt,  so  that  I 
4  did  not  venture  forth.  This  may  signify,  that  I  am  not  as 
4  yet  clad  and  prepared  as  I  ought  to  be  

4  1  X  2  July. 

4  There  happened  to  me  something  very  curious.  T  came 
4  into  violent  shudderings,  as  when  Christ  showed  me  His 
4  Divine  mercv.  The  one  fit  followed  the  other  ten  or  fifteen 
4  times.  I  expected  to  be  thrown  on  my  face  as  before,  but 
4  this  did  not  occur.  At  last,  trembling,  I  was  lifted  up,  and 
4  with  my  hands  I  felt  a  (human)  back.  I  felt  with  my  hands 
4  all  along  the  back,  and  then  the  breast.  Immediatelv  it  lav 
4  down,  and  I  saw  in  front  the  countenance  also,  but  very 
4  obscurely.  I  was  then  kneeling,  and  I  thought  to  myself 
4  whether  or  not  I  should  lay  myself  down  beside  it,  but  this 
4  I  did  not,  for  it  seemed  as  if  not  permitted. 

4  The  shudderings  came  all  from  the  lower  parts  of  my 
k  body  up  to  my  head.  This  was  in  a  vision,  when  I  was 
k  neither  waking  nor  sleeping,  for  I  had  all  my  thoughts  about 
4  me.  It  was  the  inward  man  separated  from  the  outward, 
k  that  was  made  aware  of  this. 

4  When  I  was  quite  awake  similar  shudderings  came 
4  several  times  over  me.  It  could  not  but  be  a  holy  Angel, 
1  because  I  was  not  thrown  on  my  face1  (As  he  was  at  the 


THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


235 


Divine  appearance)  4  What  it  means  our  Lord  knows  best. . . . 
4  God's  mercy  is  shewn  both  to  my  inward  and  outward  man. 
4  God  alone  be  praised ! 

4  From  these  and  other  indications  I  perceive,  that  it  may 
4  signify,  that  I  shall  discover  truths  concerning  the  internal 

*  sensations,  feeling  then  along  the  back  but  only  touching 
4  them  in  front  obscurely  

'3  X  4  July. 

4 1  seemed  to  take  leave  of  her  with  particular  tenderness, 
4  kissing  her,  when  another  woman  a  short  way  off  appeared. 
4  The  result  was,  that  when  awake  I  was  in  continual  amorous 

4  desire   This  signifies,  that  I  have  now  finished  what 

4 1  have  written  on  the  Senses  in  general,  and  the  operation 

4  of  the  Interior  Faculties   I  now  come  to  the  second 

4  part  or  the  Cerebrum.  .  .  . 

'21  X  22. 

4 1  saw  a  congregation  in  which  every  one  had  a  little 
'  crown  on  his  head,  and  two  that  stood  in  front  had  large  and 

*  magnificent  crowns  It  signifies  those  who  had  got 

c  martyr  crowns,  of  whom  I  had  been  thinking  the  day  before. 
4  Who  the  two  in  front  were  I  do  not  know ;  whether  one  of 
4  them  was  Huss,  I  am  not  aware  

4  When  I  awoke,  I  came  into  a  vision  wherein  I  saw  much 
4  gold  before  me ;  the  air  was  full  of  it.  It  means  that  the 
4  Lord,  Who  disposes  all,  affords  me  all  I  want  in  spiritual  and 
4  worldly  things,  whenever  I  cast  my  cares  on  Him. 

4  22  X  23. 

1 1  appeared  to  take  a  very  high  flight,  but  in  such  a  circle, 
4  that  I  came  down  just  when  I  grew  tired.  I  saw  a  beautiful 
4  drawing-room  with  a  very  fine  tapestry  on  the  wails,  all  of 
4  one  piece.  It  signifies  what  I  had  in  my  mind  and  heart  the 
4  day  before ;  that  if  we  leave  Christ  to  care  for  us  in  spiritual 


236 


THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


4  and  worldly  things,  all  is  done.  I  saw  a  boy  running  away 
4  with  one  of  my  shirts.  It  may  mean,  that  I  had  neglected 
1  to  wash  my  feet. 

4  30  July  X  1  August. 

4  I  was  a  long  time  in  holy  shudderings,  but  at  the  NflM 
k  time  in  a  deep  sleep.  I  thought  whether  I  might  not  see 
4  something  holy.  I  appeared  to  be  thrown  on  my  face,  but  I 
4  am  unable  to  say  with  certainty  

•  After  this  I  waited  in  expectation  of  a  procession  of 
1  horses.  They  came  of  a  light  yellow  colour,  beautiful  large 
4  horses.  Afterwards  more  came  to  me ;  coach-horses,  fat, 
f  large  and  handsome,  decorated  with  lovely  harness.  This 
1  signifies  the  book  I  have  now  begun  on  the  Cerebrum.  Thus 
k  I  learn,  that  I  have  God's  assistance  in  it,  which  greatly  aids 
4  me  

'26  X  27. 

4  The  day  before  I  was  much  troubled  and  weighed  down 
4  with  my  sins,  which  it  seemed  to  me  had  not  been  forgiven, 
f  and  which  hindered  me  the  last  time  from  partaking  of  the 
4  Lord's  Supper.  Then  I  seemed  to  be  relieved.  In  the 
c  night  the  soles  of  my  feet  appeared  to  be  quite  white,  which 
4  signifies,  that  my  sins  are  forgiven,  and  still  more,  that  I  am 

*  again  once  more  welcome  

4 1  x  2  September. 

•  I  meditated  going  to  the  Lord's  Supper  on  the  2nd 

*  because  I  was  assured,  so  far  as  I  know,  that  I  am  delivered 
4  from  my  sins.  But  then  I  saw  a  large  dog,  which  ran 
k  towards  me,  but  he  did  me  no  harm  

4  Afterwards  I  seemed  to  hear,  that  Dideron  had  left  his 

4  King  and  gone  over  to  the  Danes  and  there  was  slain  

4  I  waited  for  his  corpse.    I  heard  immediately,  as  if  he  had 

*  inspired  mc,  that  I  Might  not  to  leave  the  congregation  of 


THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


237 


4  Christ,  nor  go  to  that  place  to  receive  the  Lord's  Supper, 
4  and  that  if  I  did  so,  I  should  become  again  spiritually  dead. 
4 1  could  not  understand  anything  more,  so  that  there  is  a 
4  mystery  in  it.  I  did  not  go,  and  was  kindled  by  the  Holy 
4  Spirit,  as  is  generally  the  case  when  I  follow  its  dictates.  .  .  . 

4 17  X  18  September. 

4 1  saw  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  one  said,  that  lie  was 
4  going  to  bring  on  a  quarrel  between  the  Kings  of  Prussia 
c  and  France   \ 

4 21. 

4  This  was  Sunday.  Before  I  slept  I  had  much  thought 
4  about  the  subject  on  which  I  am  writing.  Then  it  was  said 
4  to  me,  a  Hold  your  tongue,  or  I  will  strike  you."  Then  I 
4  saw  a  man  sitting  upon  some  ice,  and  I  was  afraid.  I  was 
4  as  in  a  vision.  I  restrained  my  thoughts,  and  experienced 
4  the  usual  shudderings.  All  this  implied,  that  I  should  not 
4  work  so  long,  particularly  on  Sunday,  or  perhaps  in  the 
4  evenings. 

4  29  X  30. 

4 1  saw  the  front  of  the  most  beautiful  palace  that  ever 
4  was  seen.  There  was  a  glory  like  the  sun  upon  it.  I  was 
J"  told,  that  it  was  resolved,  that  I  should  be  a  Member  of  the 
4  Society,  which  is  immortal,  which  no  one  before  had  been, 
4  except  one,  who  had  been  dead,  and  had  lived  again.  Some 
4  said,  that  there  were  more,  who  were  thus.  It  came  into 
4  my  mind,  whether  it  was  not  more  important  to  be  with 
4  God,  and  live  from  Him.  This  had  reference  to  what  I 
4  have  finished  writing  on  Organic  Forms  in  general,  and 
4  chiefly  at  the  end. 

4  After  this  some  one  said  he  would  call  on  me  at  ten  o'clock. 
4  He  did  not  know  where.  I  lived.  I  told  him  I  lived  in  the 
4  front  part  of  the  palace,  as  I  then  thought.    This  signifies, 


238 


THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


1  that  what,  with  God's  assistance,  I  had  then  written  about 
4  Forms,  was  such,  that  it  would  carry  me  still  further  to  see 
4  what  is  yet  more  glorious. 

4  Afterwards  I  was  with  women,  but  would  not  touch  them 
4  as  I  had  previously  had  to  do  with  that,  which  is  holier.  On 
4  this  occasion  much  occurred  to  me,  which  I  left  to  God's  will, 
4  because  I  am  as  an  instrument,  with  which  He  does  according 
4  to  His  pleasure.  Yet  I  would  wish  to  be  with  the  foremost. 
4  Not  my  will,  however,  but  God's  (be  done).  God  grant,  that 
4 1  do  not  mistake  in  this.    I  believe  I  do  not. 

4  The  3rd  to  the  6th  October. 

4  Several  times  I  have  experienced,  that  Spirits  are  of 
'  various  kinds.  The  one  Spirit,  which  is  Christ's,  is  the  only 
4  one,  that  has  all  blessedness  with  it.  By  the  others,  man  is 
4  enticed  a  thousand  ways,  but  woe  to  those  who  follow  them. 
4  ....  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to  discern  the  Spirits,  which 
4  is  a  thing  that  cannot  be  done  except  through  Christ  and 
4  His  Spirit.  It  was  represented  to  me  in  sleep  in  what  awful 
4  danger  I  had  been  in  on  the  night  between  the  29th  and 
4  30th,  when  I  was  on  a  piece  of  ice,  which  could  scarcely  bear 
4  me,  and  I  came  near  to  an  awful  abyss.  A  person  on  the 
4  other  side  could  not  come  to  my  assistance,  so  I  went  back. 
4  God,  through  Christ,  is  the  only  one  Who  helped  me.  He 
4  is  my  Lord  and  Master,  and  I  am  His  slave.  Honour  and 
4  thanks  to  Him,  without  Whom  none  can  come  to  God. 

'6X7. 

4  Something  was  told  me  about  my  book.    One  said  4  The 

1  4  Worship  and  Love  of  God"1  was  a  Divine  book  I 

4  seemed  also  to  sec  the  Czar  Peter  and  other  great  Emperors, 
4  who  despised  me  because  I  had  half  sleeves  

4  Very  easily  is  man  deceived  by  Spirits,  who  draw  near 
4  and  flatter  and  coincide  with  his  desires.  Affections  are 
4  represented  by  Spirits;  yea  indeed,  by  Women. 


THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


239 


4  7  X  8  October. 

*  I  saw  in  a  vision  a  Heart  filled  with  blood.  It 

*  is  Love. 

4 12  X  13. 

4  1  seemed  to  say  to  myself,  The  Lord  will  instruct 

4  me  I  know  nothing  else  than  that  Christ  ought  to 

4  be  all  in  all,  or  God  through  Christ.  We  are  unable  of 
4  ourselves  to  do  anything,  still  less  to  strive.  Hence  it  is 
4  best  to  surrender  at  discretion ;  and  if  one  could  be  altogether 
1  passive  before  Him,  it  would  be  the  same  as  being  perfect. 

4 1  saw  also  in  a  vision  fine  bread  presented  to  me.  It  is  a 
4  sign,  that  the  Lord  Himself  will  instruct  me,  since  I  have 
4  now  for  the  first  time  come  into  the  condition,  that  I  know 
4  nothing,  and  all  preconceived  judgements  are  taken  away 
4  from  me.  This  is  the  beginning  of  instruction,  namely,  first 
4  to  be  a  child,  and  so  to  be  nursed  up  in  knowledge.  Such  is 
4  now  my  case. 

4 13  X  14. 

4  Among  other  things  it  was  told  me,  that  for  the  last 
4  fortnight,  I  have  been  growing  much  handsomer,  and  have 
4  become  like  an  Angel.    God  grant  that  it  may  be  so  ! 

4 18  X  19. 

4  A  big  dog,  which  I  thought  was  chained,  flew  at  me  and 
4  bit  my  leg.  One  came,  and  closed  his  terrible  jaws,  and 
4  kept  him  from  further  mischief.  It  meant  that  the  day 
4  before  I  had  heard  an  oration  in  the  College  of  Surgeons, 
4  and  I  desired  in  thought,  that  they  would  name  me  as  the 
4  one,  who  best  understood  Anatomy.  Yet  I  was  glad  it  did 
4  not  happen  

4  20  X  21. 

4  In  the  evening  I  found  myself  in  a  strange  mood, 


240 


THE  HuuK   «»r  1»):KAM>. 


4  such  as  I  never  had  been  in  before.  I  thought  that  I 
4  despaired  of  the  mercy  of  God,  though  I  knew,  that  God  is 
4  very  merciful,  and  to  me  especially  has  shewn  greater  grace 
4  than  to  others.  This  anxiety  had  place  in  my  Soul,  and  not 
4  in  my  Mind.  The  anxiety  was  perceived  by  the  Mind  in 
4  the  Soul,  but  without  any  pain  in  the  Body.  I  then  fell 
4  asleep  

4  Afterwards  I  saw  a  great  King,  who  was  King  of  France. 
1  He  went  about  without  any  attendants  or  courtly  state.  One 
4  who  was  with  me  seemed  not  to  know,  that  he  was  a  King. 
4 1  told  him  that  he  was  one  of  those  who  did  not  care  for 
1  grandeur.  He  was  courteous  to  all  alike,  and  spoke  to  me. 
4  When  he  went  out  he  was  also  without  attendants,  but  took 
4  upon  himself  the  burdens  of  others  and  bore  them  as  garments. 
4  Thence  I  came  into  a  large  company  where  there  was  great 
4  magnificence.  I  saw  the  Queen.  The  Chamberlain  came 
1  and  bowed  to  her,  and  she  likewise  made  a  deep  reverence. 
4  There  was  no  pride  in  her. 

4  This  signifies,  that  in  Christ  there  is  not  the  least  of  pride, 
4  and  that  He  makes  Himself  equal  with  others,  although  He 
4  is  the  greatest  King;  and  that  He  does  not  trouble  Himself 
1  about  that  which  is  great ;  and,  that  He  takes  the  burdens  of 
4  others  upon  Him.  The  Queen,  who  is  "Wisdom,  is  also  like 
4  Him,  and  has  no  self-love,  and  does  not  consider  herself  of 
4  any  account  because  she  is  a  Queen. 

4  26  X  27  October. 
Another  Vision  of  Christ. 

4 1  seemed  to  be  with  Christ,  with  Whom  I  convened 
4  without  ceremony.  He  borrowed  a  little  money  from 
4  another,  about  five  pounds.  I  was  sorry,  that  He  did  not 
4  borrow  of  me.  I  took  two  pounds,  of  which  methought  I 
4  let  one  drop,  and  then  the  other.  He  asked,  what  it  was. 
*  J  said,  44 1  have  found  two,"  one  being  probably  dropped  by 


END  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  DREAMS. 


241 


4  Him.  I  offered,  and  He  took  them.  In  such  an  easy 
{  manner  did  we  seem  to  live  together.  It  was  a  state  of 
4  innocence. 

4  Christ  said,  that  I  ought  not  to  undertake 

4  anything  without  Him  

4  In  the  morning  when  I  wakened,  there  came  upon  me  the 
4  same  kind  of  giddiness  or  swoon,  which  I  had  six  or  seven 
4  years  ago  at  Amsterdam  when  I  began  1  The  Economy  of  the 
1  '-Animal  Kingdom,1  but  much  more  subtle,  so  that  I  appeared 
4  to  be  near  death.  It  came  on  as  soon  as  I  saw  daylight,  and 
4  threw  me  upon  my  face,  but  passed  off  by  degrees,  while 
4  short  doses  of  sleep  overcame  me.  This  swoon  was  more 
4  inward  and  deep,  but  soon  passed  away. 

4  It  signifies,  that  my  head  is  actually  cleared  and  purified 
4  from  things  which  hinder  thought.  The  same  happened  in 
4  the  former  case,  whence  I  obtained  greater  penetration, 
4  especially  when  writing. 

4  This  was  also  now  represented  to  me  in  that  I  appeared 
4  to  write  in  a  delicate  hand.' 

On  page  99  of  the  manuscript  Diary  there  are  only  the 
last  four  words.  Several  blank  pages  then  intervene,  and  the 
mysterious  record  closes  with  this  entry — 

4  11  X  12  (Month  not  given): 

4 1  left  Ohlreick,  and  on  the  way  there  was  deep  water. 
4  On  its  margin  there  was  a  very  narrow  path  along  which 
4 1  walked.  It  seemed  to  me,  that  I  ought  not  to  go  into 
4  the  deep  water.  It  seemed,  that  a  rocket  burst  over  me, 
4  showering  out  beautiful  sparks.  Perhaps  it  means  love  for 
4  what  is  high.' 

It  is  disappointing,  that  Swedenborg  says  not  one  word 
further  concerning  his  visits  to  the  Moravian  Chapel.  Possibly 
they  were  discontinued  after  his  removal  from  Brockmer's  to 
Dr.  Smith's  in  Cold  Bath  Fields.    The  Chapel  in  Fetter  Lane 


242 


THE  MORAVIANS  IN  FETTER  LANE. 


is  an  old  building.  It  escaped  the  Great  Fire  of  1666,  and 
appears  to  have  undergone  no  change  beyond  paint  and 
whitewash  since  those  awful  nights  when  it  was  lighted  up 
with  the  flames  of  the  burning  city.  Whoever  desires  to  form 
a  correct  idea  of  the  gaunt  ugliness  of  a  Puritan  meeting-house 
of  the  17th  century  could  not  do  better  than  pay  the  Chapel 
in  Fetter  Lane  a  visit.  It  is  a  place  sanctified  with  not  a 
few  precious  memories.  From  its  pulpit  Eichard  Baxter 
1  preached  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men,  as  though  he  might 
(  never  see  them  more.'  In  it  John  Wesley  in  1738  formed 
his  first  Society,  which  was  joined  by  so  many  Moravians 
that  they  swamped  his  influence  and  overthrew  his  councils. 
This,  he  was  not  the  man  to  endure.  lie  wrestled  with  the 
invaders,  he  charged  them  with  holding  false  doctrine,  he 
denounced  them  as  Antinomians,  but  all  in  vain.  They 
maintained,  '  that  Believers  are  no  more  bound  to  obey  the 
4  works  of  the  law  than  the  subjects  of  the  King  of  England 
4  are  bound  to  obey  the  laws  of  the  King  of  France.'  The 
mass  of  the  Society  became  estranged  from  him,  and  at  last 
he  resolved  to  withdraw.  After  a  serious  address  on  Sunday, 
20th  July,  1740,  in  which  he  told  them,  their  opinions  were 
flat  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God,  he  took  his  leave,  drawing 
only  some  score  of  members  after  him. 

After  Wesley's  departure  the  Moravians  prospered  abun- 
dantly, teaching  the  doctrine  of  Salvation  by  Faith  Alone 
without  qualification,  and  in  the  most  superficial,  meehanieal, 
and  forensic  sense.  It  is  indeed  to  be  regretted,  that  in  such 
a  school  Swedenborg  received  his  early  impressions  of  formal 
theology;  for  we  often  think,  that  the  unconscious  caricature  and 
the  hardness  of  many  of  his  subsequent  views  of  the  Religion 
of  Protestants  are  to  be  attributed  to  the  converse  and  preach- 
ing of  the  United  Brethren  in  Fetter  Lane  in  those  days  when 
his  mind  was  awakening  to  an  interest  in  Divine  things. 


The  Diary  ends  with  October,  1744,  and  at  the  W'ginning 


robsahm's  story. 


243 


of  1745,  Nourse,  a  London  bookseller,  published  the  Third  Part 

of  the  *  Regnum  Animate  J  and  the  4  De  Cultu  et  Amove  Dei?  I 
cannot  discover  that  these  works  met  with  any  notice  whatever. 
The  4  Gentleman's  Magazine '  merely  registers  their  appearance. 

Although  1744  is  evidently  from  his  Diary  the  year  of 
the  beginning  of  Swedenborg's  visions,  he  usually  dated  the 
commencement  of  his  seership  from  1745.  It  may  be,  that  of 
the  dreams  and  visions  we  have  been  reading  he  made  small 
account,  regarding  them  as  illusions,  or  as  preliminaries  of  the 
great  change  whereby  the  things  of  Heaven  and  Hell  and  the 
World  of  Spirits  became  familiar  to  his  eyes. 

From  Swedenborg  we  have  no  description  of  the  moment- 
ous event  of  1745,  but  from  his  friend,  M.  Robsahm,  of 
Stockholm,  we  draw  the  following — 

4  I  inquired  of  Swedenborg  where  and  in  what  manner  his 
4  revelations  began.    He  said — 

4  44  I  was  in  London  and  dined  late  at  my  usual  quarters, 
4  44  where  I  had  engaged  a  room,  in  which  to  prosecute  my 
4  "  studies  in  Natural  Philosophy.  I  was  hungry  and  ate  with 
4  u  great  appetite.  Towards  the  end  of  the  meal,  I  remarked, 
1  44  that  a  kind  of  mist  spread  before  my  eyes,  and  I  saw  the 
*  "  floor  of  my  room  covered  with  hideous  reptiles,  such  as 
'  "  serpents,  toads,  and  the  like.  I  was  astonished,  having  all 
4  u  my  wits  about  me,  being  perfectly  conscious.  The  darkness 
4  "  attained  its  height  and  then  passed  away.  I  now  saw  a 
4  44  Man  sitting  in  the  corner  of  the  chamber.  As  I  had 
4  u  thought  myself  alone,  I  was  greatly  frightened,  when  he 
4  u  said  to  me,  4  Eat  not  so  much.'  My  sight  again  became 
4  44  dim,  but  when  I  recovered  it  I  found  myself  alone  in  my 
4  "  room.  The  unexpected  alarm  hastened  my  return  home. 
4  "  I  did  not  suffer  my  landlord  to  perceive  that  anything  had 
1  "  happened,  but  thought  over  the  matter  attentively,  and  was 
4  u  not  able  to  attribute  it  to  chance  or  any  physical  cause. 

4  44  The  following  night  the  same  Man  appeared  to  me 

R  2 


244 


kobsahm's  and  beyeiTs  STORIES. 


4  44  again.  I  was  tins  time  not  at  all  alarmed.  The  Man  said — 
1  a  *  I  am  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator,  and  Redeemer  of  the 
4  44  4  World.  I  have  chosen  thee  to  unfold  to  men  the  Spiritual 
4  "  4  Sense  of  the  Holy  Scripture.  I  will  myself  dictate  to 
4  "  1  thee,  what  thou  shalt  write.' 

'  u  The  same  night  the  World  of  Spirits,  Hell  and  Heaven, 
4  44  were  convincingly  opened  to  me,  where  I  found  many 
1  44  persons  of  my  acquaintance  of  all  conditions.  From  that 
4  44  day  forth  I  gave  up  all  worldly  learning,  and  laboured  only 
1  11  in  spiritual  things,  according  to  what  the  Lord  commanded 
4  "  me  to  write.  Thereafter  the  Lord  daily  opened  the  eyes 
4  11  of  my  Spirit,  to  see  in  perfect  wakefulness  what  was  going 
4  "  on  in  the  other  World,  and  to  converse,  broad  awake,  with 
4  44  Angels  and  Spirits."  ' 

Dr.  Beyer  gives  another  account.    He  writes — 

4  The  report  of  the  Lord's  personal  appearance  before  the 
4  Assessor  I  heard  from  his  own  mouth  when  he  was  an  old 
4  man.  He  said,  that  he  saw  Him  sitting  in  purple  and  in 
4  majestic  splendour  near  his  bed,  whilst  He  gave  him  com- 
4  mission  what  to  do.  I  asked  him  how  long  this  appearance 
4  continued.  He  replied,  that  it  lasted  about  a  quarter  of  an 
1  hour.    I  also  asked  him  whether  the  vivid  splendour  did  not 

•  pain  his  eyes,  which  he  denied  In  respect  to  the  extra- 

4  ordinary  case  of  the  Lord  appealing  to  him,  and  opening,  in  a 
4  wonderful  manner,  the  internal  and  spiritual  sight  of  His  ser- 
4  vant,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  see  into  the  other  World,  I  must 
k  observe,  that  this  opening  did  not  occur  at  once,  but  by  degrees." 

Evidently  these  two  stories  refer  to  different  experiences, 
and  they  must  be  taken  for  no  more  than  they  are  worth. 
That  to  Beyer  might  almost  stand  for  a  version  of  the  Divine 
Vision  at  Delft,  on  April  6  X  7,  1744.  That  to  Rebate* 
meets  with  but  very  partial  confirmation  under  Swedenborg'l 
own  hand,  in  the  following  statement — 

4  A  vision  in  the  day  time:  of  these  wlio  <iv  <l<v<>t<<l  t<> 
k  conviviality  in  eating,  and  indulgt  tkt  fir  appetite*. 


SWEDEN BORG'S  OWN  STORY. 


245 


1  In  the  middle  of  the  day  at  dinner  an  Angel  spoke  to  me, 
k  and  told  me  not  to  eat  too  much  at  table.    Whilst  he  was 

*  with  me,  there  plainly  appeared  to  me  a  kind  of  vapour 
L  steaming  from  the  pores  of  my  body.  It  was  a  most  visible 
'  watery  vapour,  and  fell  downwards  to  the  ground  upon  the 
4  carpet,  where  it  collected,  and  tinned  into  divers  vermin, 
L  which  were  gathered  together  under  the  table,  and  in  a 
L  moment  went  off  with  a  pop  or  noise.  A  fiery  light  appeared 
L  within  thein,  and  a  sound  was  heard,  pronouncing,  that  all 
L  the  vermin  that  could  possibly  be  generated  by  unseemly 
1  appetite,  were  thus  cast  out  of  my  body,  and  burnt  up,  and 

*  that  I  was  now  cleansed  from  them.  Hence  we  may  know 
'  what  luxury  and  the  like  have  for  their  bosom  contents. 
1  1745.  April.'* 

Most  readers  of  this  chapter  of  Dreams,  Visions,  Tempta- 
tions, and  Extasies  will  be  ready  to  exclaim,  The  man  had 
gone  mad ! — an  opinion  I  am  careless  to  contest.  I  freely 
admit,  for  it  would  be  sheer  perversity  to  do  otherwise,  that  a 
production  like  the  Book  of  Dreams  would  be  held  as  sufficient 
warrant  for  the  consignment  of  any  author  to  a  lunatic  asylum ; 
but,  having  made  this  admission,  I  do  not  see  that  we  are  a 
bit  wiser,  or  that  we  have  made  the  slightest  advance  towards 
a  comprehension  of  Swedenborg's  case.  It  is  only  pert  scien- 
tific ignorance,  which  imagines,  that  Swedenborg's  life  and 
writings  for  seven  and  twenty  years  subsequent  to  1745  are 
in  any  way  accounted  for  by  asserting,  that  he  was  out  of  his 
mind  in  1744.  Xot  all  the  jargon  gathered  from  the  most 
learned  treatises  of  the  most  enlightened  '  mad  Doctors '  will 
avail  to  impose  such  a  conclusion  on  any  intellect  in  which 
common  sense  is  stronger  than  scientific  credulity. 

Considering,  that  Swedenborg  was  at  this  time  at  the  crisis 


*  From  Swedenborg's  £  Spiritual  Diary,'  Xo.  397.  This  entry  was  not 
made  at  the  time  in  1745,  but  more  than  two  years  afterwards,  on  Christmas 
Day,  1747. 


246 


MAD  OK  NOT  MAD? 


of  a  great  physical,  intellectual,  and  spiritual  change,  I  have 
no  surprise  to  spare  for  any  aberrations  of  thought,  speech,  or 
behaviour  into  which  he  may  have  fallen.  He  was  staggering 
in  confusion  between  old  darkness  and  an  excess  of  new  light. 
As  Carlyle  says — '  Such  transitions  are  ever  full  of  pain :  thus 
i  the  Eagle  when  he  moults  is  sickly;  and,  to  attain  his  new 
1  beak,  must  harshly  dash  off  the  old  one  upon  the  rocks.'  We 
ought  to  remember  what  an  assemblage  of  delicate  conditions 
are  requisite  to  the  perfection  of  sanity  of  mind,  and  how  the 
absence  of  one,  or  the  slight  derangement  of  a  few,  seriously 
affects  it.  In  this  respect  the  question  is  more  easily  raised 
than  answered,  Whether  indeed  anybody  is  sane  ?  We  all 
know  how  a  dyspeptic  stomach  blackens,  and  how  a  bottle  of 
wine  glorifies  the  world,  and  how  the  thoughts  of  the  one  state 
are  as  folly  to  the  other.  The  truth  perhaps  is,  that  mental, 
like  physical  sanity,  is  merely  an  ideal  perfection  at  which  we 
all  aim,  and  more  or  less  nearly  approach,  but  never  attain ; 
and  that  in  some  degree  we  are  all  crazed,  as  we  are  all 
diseased ;  but  as  we  are  only  numbered  among  the  sick  when 
we  are  worse  than  ordinary  so  only  are  we  reckoned  among 
the  mad  when  our  craze  exceeds  conventional  bounds,  and 
becomes  offensive  or  dangerous  to  our  neighbours.  I  appre- 
hend, that  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  changes  Swedenborg 
underwent  were  necessarily  attended  with  violent  deflections 
from  the  centre  of  sanity.  The  most  self-possessed  philoso- 
pher passing  through  a  fever  may  be  delirious,  but  we  do  not 
judge  him  by  his  sayings  and  doings  in  that  delirium :  nor  is 
Swedenborg  to  be  judged  by  his  Book  of  Dreams.  He  is  a 
fool,  who  comes  to  conclusions  in  the  dust  and  din  and  agony 
of  the  process,  and  has  neither  the  patience  nor  forethought  to 
wait  for  the  result.  If  Swedenborg  had  gone  on  writing  to 
1772  in  the  style  of  1744,  there  would  certainly  be  no  need 
for  any  of  us  to  trouble  our  heads  about  him ;  but,  as  we  shall 
endeavour  to  show,  he  emerged  from  the  horrible  valley  of 
illusions  and  spectres,  through  which  we  have  been  following 


LONDON  IN  1710  AND  1744. 


247 


him,  not  only  with  his  old  faculties  purified  and  invigorated, 
-but  with  his  inner  eyes  opened  to  the  men  and  scenery  of  the 
Inner  World  of  Spirit,  and  with  an  intellect  irradiated  with 
the  very  Wisdom  of  Heaven. 

Nothing  more  can  I  find  to  tell  concerning  this  second 
visit  of  Swedenborg  to  London.  The  former  one  took  place, 
it  will  be  remembered,  in  1710,  when  Anne  was  Queen  and  he 
a  young  man  of  twenty-two.  A  new  generation  had  arisen 
in  England  during  the  four  and  thirty  years  that  had  elapsed. 
George  II.  was  King.  Newton,  Flamsteed  and  Halley, 
Addison,  Steele  and  Defoe  had  gone  to  their  rest.  Pope, 
who  in  1710  was  in  the  spring  of  his  glory,  was  dying  when 
Swedenborg  revisited  London,  his  crooked  body  worn  out 
with  asthma  and  spleen.  Swift,  an  old  man  of  seventy-seven, 
was  closing  his  last  miserable  days  in  Dublin.  Isaac  Watts 
too  was  nearing  the  end  of  his  busy  and  tranquil  life  in  his 
long-tried  and  happy  retreat  in  the  household  of  the  Abneys, 
at  Theobalds.  Old  Sarah,  the  lioness  of  Marlborough,  died  at 
eighty-five  in  1744,  and  the  year  after  she  was  followed  by 
Walpole,  who  had  ruled  and  comforted  England  with  peace 
and  prosperity  for  twenty  years.  Johnson,  whom  Queen  Anne 
touched  for  the  King's  evil  in  1710,  was  in  1744  drudging  for 
Cave  on  4  The  Gentleman's  Magazine]  and  may  have  glanced 
over  the  1  Be  Cultu  et  Amove  BeV  and  the  1  Regnum  Animale] 
if  Nourse  sent  copies  for  review.  The  town  in  1744  had 
scarcely  recovered  from  its  interest  in  Eichardson's  model 
story  of  the  virtuous  c  Pamela]  or  from  its  still  greater  inte- 
rest in  Fielding's  account  of  Pamela's  more  virtuous  rival 
and  brother,  1  Joseph  Andrews.''  Young  was  printing  his 
L Night  Thoughts]  and  Thomson  had  left  his  *  Seasons  '  to  write 
plays  that  would  not  act.  Science  was  not  so  well  represented 
in  England  in  1744  as  hi  1710.  Bradley  was  Astronomer- 
Royal.  Martin  Folkes  was  president  of  the  Royal  Society. 
Sir  Hans  Sloane,  a  hale  old  man  of  eighty-four  with  yet  nine 
years  of  life  in  him,  was  living  at  Chelsea,  and  Swedenborg 


248 


RETURN  TO  STOCKHOLM,  1745. 


could  scarcely  have  failed  to  have  visited  him  at  his  hospitable 
abode  and  explored  the  treasures  of  his  museum.  Anson  in 
1744  brought  home  £1,250,000  in  prize  money,  which  was 
borne  in  triumph  through  the  streets  to  the  Tower  on  thirty- 
two  waggons,  but  within  a  year,  in  1745,  London  was  made 
sad  with  the  news  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland's  defeat  at 
Fontenoy,  followed  by  the  tidings  in  July  that  Prince  Charles 
Edward  had  sailed  from  France  to  raise  rebellion  in  Scotland. 

At  the  beginning  of  July,  1745,  Swedenborg  took  ship 
from  London  for  Sweden,  and  arrived  in  Stockholm  on  the 
7th  of  August  after  an  absence  of  more  than  two  years. 

During  the  voyage  his  Visions  were  entirely  suspended. 


(    249  ) 


CHAPTER  II. 


CALLED  TO  A  NEW  WORK. 


On  his  return  home  Swedenborg  resumed  the  duties  of  his 
Assessorship.  Thus  passed  the  last  months  of  1745,  the 
whole  of  1746,  and  the  beginning  of  1747. 

He  commenced  to  learn  Hebrew,  and  read  the  Old  Testa- 
ment through  once  or  twice  in  the  original.  As  he  read,  and 
as  the  wisdom  of  the  Word  was  opened  to  him,  he  committed 
to  paper  his  perceptions.  These  1  Adversaria  '*  he  did  not 
publish,  regarding  them  probably  as  studies  for  future  works. 
They  abound  in  wavering  and  indistinct  views,  which  subse- 
quent reflection  decided  or  corrected. 

The  1  Adversaria '  furnish  remarkable  evidence  of  the 
activity  and  fertility  of  their  author's  mind.  Ranging  from 
Genesis  to  Jeremiah,  and  forming  in  Dr.  Tafel's  edition  nine 
volumes,  each  containing  about  as  much  matter  as  this  book, 
they  were  produced  in  less  than  two  years,  the  last  entry 
being  dated  9th  February,  1747.  Swedenborg  appears  to 
have  thought  through  his  pen. 

He  now  felt  that  he  had  entered  upon  a  vocation,  which 
no  longer  permitted  him  to  discharge  the  duties  of  Assessor 
to  the  Board  of  Mines,  and  in  1747  he  sought  and  obtained 
permission  from  King  Frederick  to  retire.  His  petition  to 
the  King  contained  two  other  requests,  namely,  that  he  might 


*  The  'Adversaria'  have  been  printed  and  edited  from  Swedenborg' s 
manuscripts  by  Dr.  Tafel,  of  Tubingen,  between  1842  and  1854.  A  list  of 
the  volumes  and  their  contents  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix 


250 


RESIGNS  HIS  ASSESSORSIIIP. 


enjoy  during  life,  a*  a  retiring  pension,  one  half  of  the  salary 
attached  to  the  Assessorship,  and,  that  the  permission  for  his 
retirement  might  not  be  accompanied  by  any  addition  to  his 
rank  or  title. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hartley  in  17G9  he  explains 
his  motive  for  this  transaction — 

1  My  sole  view  in  this  resignation  was,  that  I  might  be 
i  more  at  liberty  to  devote  myself  to  that  new  function,  to 
1  which  the  Lord  had  called  me.  On  resigning  my  office  a 
1  higher  degree  of  rank  was  offered  me,  but  this  I  declined, 
1  lest  it  should  be  the  occasion  of  inspiring  me  with  pride.' 

The  King  granted  his  request,  but  in  consideration  of 
his  thirty  years'  service  he  pensioned  him  off  with  Ins  full 
salary. 

At  the  risk  of  some  anticipation  of  our  narrative  we  must 
here  pause  awhile,  in  order  that  we  may  obtain  a  correct  idea 
of  the  nature  and  scope  of  L  that  function  to  which,'  as 
Swedenborg  testifies,  L  the  Lord  had  called  him.' 

His  own  declarations  on  the  subject  are  abundant,  one  or 
more  being  found  in  almost  every  book  he  wrote.  Some  of 
these  we  had  better  read. 

In  the  letter  to  Mr.  Hartley,  from  which  we  have  just 
quoted,  after  detailing  his  honours  and  his  connections  in 
Sweden,  he  goes  on  to  say — 

1  Whatever  of  worldly  honour  and  advantage  may  appear 
1  in  these,  I  hold  them  in  low  esteem  when  compared  to  the 
'  honour  of  that  sacred  office,  to  which  the  Lord  Himself  has 
c  called  me,  Who  was  graciously  pleased  to  manifest  Himself 
1  to  me,  His  unworthy  servant,  in  a  personal  appearance  in 
'  the  year  1743  ;  to  open  in  me  a  sight  of  the  Spiritual  World, 
4  and  to  enable  me  to  converse  with  Spirits  and  Angels ;  and 
'  this  privilege  has  been  continued  to  me  to  this  day  (17G9). 
1  From  that  time  I  began  to  print  and  publish  various  un- 
i  known  Arcana,  that  have  been  either  seen  by  me,  or  revealed 
4  to  me,  concerning  Heaven  and  Hell;  the  state  of  men  after 


CLAIMS  SPIRITUAL  VISION. 


251 


1  death ;  the  true  Worship  of  God ;  the  Spiritual  Sense  of  the 
4  Scriptures ;  and  many  other  importanj;  truths  tending  to 
4  salvation  and  true  wisdom.' 
Again  in  1749  he  writes — 

4  Of  the  Lord's  divine  mercy,  it  has  been  granted  me,  now 
4  for  several  years,  to  be  constantly  and  uninterruptedly  in 
4  company  with  Spirits  and  Angels,  hearing  them  converse 
4  with  each  other,  and  conversing  with  them.  Hence  it  has  been 
4  permitted  me  to  hear  and  see  things  in  another  life  which 
4  are  astonishing,  and  which  have  never  before  come  to  the 
4  knowledge  of  any  man,  nor  entered  into  his  imagination.  I 
4  have  been  there  instructed  concerning  different  kinds  of 
4  Spirits,  and  the  state  of  Souls  after  death — concerning  Hell, 
4  or  the  lamentable  state  of  the  unfaithful — concerning  Heaven, 
'  or  the  most  happy  state  of  the  faithful — and,  particularly, 
1  concerning  the  Doctrine  of  Faith,  which  is  acknowledged 
4  throughout  all  Heaven.'* 

Again — 

4 1  am  well  aware,  that  many  persons  will  insist,  that  it  is 
1  impossible  for  any  one  to  converse  with  Spirits  and  Angels 
1  during  his  life  in  the  Body ;  many,  that  such  intercourse 
4  must  be  mere  fancy  and  illusion ;  some  that  I  have  invented 
4  such  relations  to  gain  credit ;  whilst  others  will  make  other 
4  objections ;  for  all  these,  however,  I  care  not,  since  I  have 
4  seen,  heard,  and  had  sensible  experience  of  what  I  am  about 
4  to  declare. 

4  We  are  created  by  the  Lord  so  that  during  our  life  in  the 
4  Body  we  may  converse  with  Spirits  and  Angels,  as  indeed 

1  was  the  habit  of  the  people  of  the  most  ancient  times  

4  But  as  they  in  process  of  time  immersed  themselves  in  cor- 
4  poreal  and  worldly  tilings,  their  intercourse  with  Spirits 
4  ceased.  Nevertheless  it  may  be  resumed  as  soon  as  the 
4  things  which  hinder  are  removed.' f 


*  '  Arcana  Ccdestiaf  No.  5. 


t  '  Arcawi  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  68,  69. 


252 


CONVERSES  WITH  ANGELS  AND  DEVILS. 


Again,  in  1758,  he  writes — 

4  The  Churchman  at  this  day  has  hardly  any  knowledge 
4  of  Heaven  and  Hell,  although  they  are  plainly  described  in 
1  the  Word ;  indeed  many,  who  are  bom  within  the  Church 
{  deny  their  existence,  and  say  in  their  hearts,  u  Who  has 
4  u  ever  come  thence  to  tell  us  ?"  Lest  therefore  such  a  state 
4  of  denial,  which  exists  especially  in  the  worldly  wise,  should 
4  also  infect  and  corrupt  the  simple  in  heart  and  faith,  it 
4  has  been  permitted  me  for  thirteen  years  to  associate  with 
1  Angels,  and  to  converse  with  them  as  one  man  with 
4  another ;  and  to  see  the  things  which  are  in  the  Heavens 
4  and  the  Hells ;  and  to  describe  them  from  experience,  in 
1  the  hope  that  ignorance  may  be  enlightened,  and  incredulity 
1  dissipated. 

4  I  have  seen  a  thousand  times,  that  Angels  are  Men  with- 

4  out  the  least  difference  having  seen  them  in  full 

1  wakefulness,  when  I  was  in  the  exercise  of  every  sense  and 
4  in  a  state  of  clear  perception.'* 

Again,  in  1758 — 

'  In  order,  that  Man  may  be  convinced  of  the  reality  of 
4  life  after  death,  it  has  been  granted  me  to  have  fellowship 
4  with  Angels,  and  to  speak  with  those  who  are  in  Hell,  and 
4  this  now  for  many  years,  sometimes  continuously  from  mom- 
4  ing  till  evening,  and  thus  to  be  instructed  concerning  Heaven 
4  and  Hell. 

4  Men  ask,  44  Whoever  came  from  Heaven  to  tell  us,  that 
4  44  it  exists '?  What  is  Hell  ?  Is  it  anything  at  all  ?  What 
4  44  is  the  meaning  of  Man  being  tormented  with  eternal  fire  *? 
4  44  What  is  the  Day  of  Judgement  *?  Has  it  not  been  expected 
4  44  for  ages  in  vain?"  Questions  such  as  these  imply  complete 
k  denial.  Lest  therefore  they  who  think  thus,  (as  do  many 
4  who  are  reputed  skilful  and  learned'  ,  should  any  longer  seduce 
4  the  simple  in  faith  and  heart,  and  induce  infernal  darkness 


*  '  JJc"<<-»  wm&MA?  Nos.  1  and  74. 


AFTER  DEATH  MEN  ARE  MEN  AS  BEFORE. 


253 


4  concerning  God,  Heaven,  Eternal  Life,  and  other  subjects 
1  dependent  on  them,  the  Interiors  of  my  Spirit  have  been 
{  opened  by  the  Lord,  and  thus  I  have  been  allowed  to  speak 
1  with  all  the  dead  whom  I  ever  knew  in  the  bodily  life,  with 
c  some  for  months,  and  with  some  for  a  year,  and  also  with  so 
1  many  others,  that  I  should  come  short  if  I  reckoned  them  at 
c  a  hundred  thousand,  of  whom  many  were  in  the  Heavens, 
1  and  many  in  the  Hells.  I  have  also  spoken  with  some  two 
4  days  after  their  decease,  and  told  them  that  solemn  prepara- 
*  tions  were  then  making  for  their  funerals  ;  to  which  they 
1  said,  that  it  was  well  to  reject  that  which  had  served  them 
1  for  a  body  in  the  World :  and  they  desired  me  to  declare 
1  that  they  were  not  dead,  but  alive  and  equally  men  as 
L  before,  and  did  not  know  that  they  had  lost  anything,  since 
1  they  are  in  a  Body  and  possess  Senses  as  before,  with  like 
L  intellect,  will,  thoughts,  affections,  sensations,  pleasures,  and 
'  desires  as  when  living  in  the  World.'* 

Again,  ten  years  afterwards,  in  1768  he  writes — 
1 1  am  aware  that  many,  who  read  these  pages,  will  believe 
i  they  are  fictions  of  the  imagination ;  but  I  solemnly  declare 
4  they  are  not  fictions,  but  were  truly  done  and  seen ;  and  that 
4 1  saw  them,  not  in  any  state  of  the  mind  asleep,  but  in  a  state 
'  of  perfect  wakefulness ;  for  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  manifest 
c  Himself  to  me,  and  to  send  me  to  teach  the  things  relating 
L  to  the  New  Church,  which  is  meant  by  the  New  Jerusalem 
4  in  the  Revelation :  for  which  purpose  He  has  opened  the 
1  Interiors  of  my  Mind  and  Spirit;  by  virtue  of  which  privilege 
i  it  has  been  granted  me  to  be  in  the  Spiritual  World  with 
c  Angels,  and  at  the  same  time  in  the  Natural  World  with 
'  Men,  and  this  now  for  twenty-five  years. 'f 

Finally,  in  his  83rd  year  in  1771,  he  attests — 
L  Since  the  Lord  cannot  manifest  Himself  in  person,  and 
1  yet  He  has  foretold,  that  He  would  come  and  establish  a 


*  '  Last  Judgement?  No.  15. 


f  '  Conjiif/ial  Love/  No.  1 


254  IN  SWEDENBORG  IS  THE  SECOND  ADVENT. 

4  New  Church,  which  is  the  New  Jerusalem,  it  follows,  that 
4  he  will  effect  this  by  the  instrumentality  of  a  man,  who  is 
4  able  not  only  to  receive  the  Doctrines  of  that  Church  in 
*  his  Understanding,  but  also  to  make  them  known  by  the 
4  Press. 

4  That  the  Lord  manifested  Himself  before  me  His  servant, 
1  that  He  appointed  me  to  this  office,  and  afterwards  opened 
4  the  sight  of  my  Spirit,  and  so  let  me  into  the  Spiritual 
4  World,  permitting  me  to  see  the  Heavens  and  the  Hells, 
4  and  also  to  converse  with  Angels  and  Spirits,  and  this  now 
4  continually  for  many  years,  I  attest  in  truth ;  and  further, 
4  that  from  the  first  day  of  my  call  to  this  office,  I  have  never 
4  received  anything  relating  to  the  Doctrines  of  that  Church 
4  from  any  Angel,  but  from  the  Lord  alone,  while  I  was 
4  reading  the  Word.'* 

These  extracts  sufficiently  define  the  claims,  which  Swe- 
denborg  with  simplicity,  calmness  and  patience  iterated  and 
reiterated  for  twenty-seven  years,  from  1 745  to  his  death. 

I  know  right  well  the  contempt  and  the  pit}'  with  which  such 
statements  are  read,  and  that  their  bitterest  scomers  are  found, 
not  among  the  Sadducees,  not  among  those  who  are  in  open 
doubt  about  God  and  Eternal  Life,  but,  among  the  Pharisees, 
among  those  who  most  loudly  confess  both,  and  who  are  ready 
to  fight  like  tigers  for  every  shred  of  wonder  or  miracle  within 
the  boards  of  the  Bible.  I  know  how  perfectly  useless  it  is 
to  plead  with  them  for  attention  to  Swedenborg  on  the  ground 
that  the  Scriptures  abound  from  end  to  end  with  claims  as 
marvellous  as  his ;  for  it  is  their  settled  conviction,  that  im- 
mediate communion  of  God  with  Man  eeased  with  Bible  times, 
and  that  since  John  left  Patmos  the  world  has  been  under  a 
totally  new  regime.  To  invite  them  therefore  to  believe,  that 
a  man,  who  lived  less  than  a  century  ago,  who  walked  London 
streets  in  cocked  hat  and  periwig,  coat  and  breeches,  sword 


*  '  True  Christian  BtM§jomt'  N«».  779. 


SWEDEXBORG  MUST  BE  TRIED. 


255 


and  buckles,  was  a  Servant  of  God  and  a  Seer  of  Angels,  is 
to  them  like  an  invitation  to  become  the  dupes  of  a  lunatic  or 
impostor.  I  may  be  allowed  to  assure  all  such  readers,  that  I 
have  no  wish  whatever  to  gain  their  suffrage  for  Swedenborg. 
Even  though  their  credence  might  turn  out  as  valiant  and 
thorough-going  as  that  which  they  accord  to  the  Bible  I  could 
have  neither  trust  nor  pleasure  in  it.  There  are  many,  who 
believe  in  Swedenborg  just  as  they  believe  in  the  Bible,  and 
who  think  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega  of  communicable  Divine 
Wisdom  terminated  with  his  last  page  in  1772;  and  I  have 
no  wish  to  add  to  their  number.  The  rampant  and  exclusive 
faith  of  these  people  in  orthodox  wonders  proves,  by  its  very 
intolerance  of  kindred  wonders,  its  own  idiocy  and  emptiness, 
and  that  it  is  merely  a  tradition  and  a  superstition  with  a  dead 
Bible  and  a  smothered  Inspiration  for  a  fetish. 

Yet  at  the  same  time  I  know  with  what  inevitable  and 
justifiable  suspicion  the  kindliest,  most  reasonable  and  most 
liberal  souls  must  hear  these  claims  of  Swedenborg  advanced ; 
for  they  are  not  only  claims,  which  he  shares  with  the  Prophets 
and  Apostles  of  old,  but  with  all  manner  of  enthusiasts  and 
deceivers.    As  Carlyle  forcibly  observes — 

1  A  poor  man  in  our  day  has  many  gods  foisted  upon 

1  him ;  and  big  voices  bid  him,  "  Worship,  or  be  !"  in  a 

c  menacing  and  confusing  manner.  What  shall  he  do  ?  By 
4  far  the  greater  part  of  said  gods,  current  in  the  public, 
4  whether  canonised  by  Pope  or  Populus,  are  mere  dumb 
4  Apises  and  beatified  Prize-oxen ; — nay,  some  of  them,  who 
'  have  articulate  faculty,  are  devils  instead  of  gods.  A  poor 
£  man  that  would  save  his  soul  alive  is  reduced  to  the  sad 
'  necessity  of  sharply  trying  his  gods  whether  they  are  divine 
c  or  not ;  which  is  a  terrible  pass  for  mankind,  and  lays  an 
*  awful  problem  upon  each  man.  The  man  must  do  it  faow- 
1  ever.  At  his  own  peril  he  will  have  to  do  this  problem, 
1  which  is  one  of  the  awfullest ;  and  his  neighbours,  all  but  a 
'  most  select  portion  of  them,  portion  generally  not  clad  in 


256 


HOW  MUST  SWEDEN BORG  BE  TRIED? 


1  official  tiaras,  can  be  of  next  to  no  help  to  him  in  it,  nay, 
4  rather  will  infinitely  hinder  him  in  it  as  matters  go.'* 

1  Sharply  tried '  must  Swedenborg  be,  but  How  tried  ? 
Plainly  no  debate,  however  prolonged,  outside  his  writings 
will  ever  settle  whether  he  talked  with  Angels,  or  was  sent  of 
God.  I  read  somewhere  of  an  erudite  and  mathematic 
assembly  engaged  in  high  controversy  as  to  whether  or  not  a 
certain  shoe  would  fit  a  certain  foot,  when  a  plain  man  broke 
through  the  learned  din  crying,  u  Why  all  this  pother  ?  Try 
u  on  the  shoe."  The  shoe  was  tried  on,  and  the  question  was 
settled  in  a  trice  by  its  slipping  on  to  the  foot  with  perfect 
fitness  like  another  skin.  So  we  should  have  everybodv  try 
Swedenborg,  not  by  talk  about  him,  but  by  converse  with  him 
in  those  books  through  which  he  lives,  and  in  which  his  claims 
evermore  await  the  test  of  fitness  (or  credibility)  with  each 
inquirer's  private  intuition  and  understanding. 

In  the  course  of  these  pages  it  will  be  our  business  to  frame 
an  exposition  of  Swedenborg 's  teachings,  and  at  its  close  we 
may,  to  much  better  purpose  than  now,  have  some  talk  over 
the  reasonableness,  or  otherwise,' of  his  claims;  but  alike  for 
the  elucidation  of  our  narrative  and  for  the  tempering  of  those 
prejudices,  which  the  most  catholic,  in  this  sceptical  age, 
cannot  but  entertain  against  one  who  writes  with  such  pre- 
tensions, it  may  be  well  to  expatiate  a  little  on  the  meaning 
of  his  assertion — 

First,  That  he  dailv  visited  the  Spiritual  World  and  made 
acquaintance  with  its  Inhabitants ;  and — 

Second,  That  he  was  directly  appointed  by  God  to  describe 
to  Men  the  scenery  of  Heaven  and  Hell  and  the  World  of 
Spirits,  and  the  lives  of  their  Inhabitants ;  and  that  through 
him  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  makes  His  second  advent  for  the 
institution  of  a  New  Church  described  in  the  Apocalypse  under 
the  figure  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 


*  '  Latter-Dfnj  Pamphlet*.  Jesuitism.' 


WHERE  IS  THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD  ?  257 


When  it  is  first  told  any  one,  that  Swedenborg  visited 
Heaven  and  Hell,  and  talked  with  Angels  and  Devils,  the 
very  terms  of  the  statement  appear  to  carry  their  own  con- 
futation. The  hearer,  assuming  that  the  Spiritual  World  is 
farther  off  than  Australia  or  Japan,  or  the  Sun  or  Stars,  at 
once  concludes  as  incredible,  that  a  man  abiding  in  Stockholm^ 
London  or  Amsterdam,  should  at  the  same  time  be  a  traveller 
in  that  distant  World,  and  hold  converse  with  the  Men  and 
Women  thereof. 

This  ready  judgement  with  which  Swedenborg's  claim  is 
usually  greeted,  is  a  perfect  example  of  Prejudice  pure  and 
simple.  No  comprehension  of  his  statement  is  attempted ;  an 
absurdity  is  imputed  to  him,  and  a  scoff  follows. 

To  judge  truly  we  must  inquire  first,  What  he  meant  by 
the  Spiritual  World,  and  next,  How  he  saw  into  it.  When  his 
meaning  is  understood,  it  will,  we  think,  be  allowed  (admitting 
his  doctrine  true),  that  it  was  no  more  wonderful,  that  he 
should  see  Heaven  than  that  he  saw  Holland;  or,  that  he 
should  talk  with  Spirits  than  that  he  talked  with  Swedes. 

Swedenborg  accepts  the  broad  division  prescribed  by 
common-sense  between  Matter  and  Mind;  the  one  Seen,  the 
other  Unseen.  Matter  we  can  see  and  handle;  Mind  we 
cannot ;  but  by  every  sensation  ranging  from  pleasure  to  pain, 
we  know  that  it  is.  Under  Mind  are  included  Love,  Reason 
and  Memory;  but  Love,  however  great,  adds  neither  to  weight 
nor  stature;  Reason,  however  powerful,  needs  no  room  for 
working;  and  Memory,  though  stored  with  the  experience 
and  learning  of  a  life-time,  can  find  neither  yard  nor  balance 
to  appreciate  its  increase;  yet  Love,  Reason  and  Memory 
are  existences,  the  veriest  realities,  although  no  chemist  nor 
physiologist  by  his  most  delicate  tests  can  in  any  way  approach 
unto  them. 

Now  although  Love,  Reason  and  Memory  are  in  the 
primary  sense  the  Spiritual  World,  we  are  not  therefore  to 
imagine,  that  Swedenborg,  by  seeing  the  Spiritual  World, 

s 


25$  mi:  fixer  substaxcks  op  natum;. 

meant  that  he  saw  actual  Love,  Reason  or  Memory.*  These 
by  their  very  nature  must  be  as  invisible  in  Heaven  as  on 
Karth.    What,  then,  did  he  mean? 

Between  our  Love,  Reason  and  Memory  and  our  Bodies  of 
flesh  and  blood  there  are  many  intermediate  existences.  Man 
has  been  well  defined  as  a  Summary  of  the  Universe  ;  so  that 
from  his  Love  or  Will  at  the  inmost,  to  his  Hair  and  Nails  at 
the  outmost,  Creation  is  comprised  in  epitome  from  end  to  end. 

Granting,  then,  that  it  was  not  in  the  Universe  at  its 
outmost  Matter,  nor  in  its  inmost  Mind,  that  Swedcnborg's 
visible  Heaven  and  Hell  lay,  we  must  look  for  them  some- 
where in  the  intermediate  existences  between  the  extremes  of 
Matter  and  Mind  ;  and,  as  Man  is  the  Summary  of  Creation, 
we  ought  to  find  these  intermediates  embodied  in  his  con- 
stitution ;  hence  says  Swedenborg — 

c  Man  at  birth  puts  on  the  grosser  substances  of  N  ature, 
'  his  Body  consisting  of  such.  These  grosser  substances  by 
1  death  he  puts  off,  but  retains  the  purer  substances  of  Nature, 
1  which  are  next  to  those  that  are  Spiritual.  These  purer 
1  substances  serve  thereafter  as  his  Body,  the  continent  and 
L  expression  ot  his  Mind.'  f 

What  these  purer  substances  are  he  does  not  tell  us.  Had 
he  not  discarded  the  doctrine  of  1  The  Principiaf  we  might 
have  inquired  whether  the  inner  Body,  which  escapes  from  its 
sheath  at  death,  is  organized  from  Ether,  or  the  Magnetic 
Element,  or  the  First  Element,  or  Points,  or  from  some  other 
imponderable.  It  might  be,  that  because  the  purer  substances 
of  Nature  were  unknown  to  science,  there  were  no  names  to  fit 
them.  At  any  rate  it  is  for  us  to  consider  the  bodies  of  the 
Angels  and  Devils  with  whom  he  spoke  as  thus  constructed; 


*  '  The  Angels  cannot  see  Love  with  their  eyes,  but  instead  of  Love  they 
'  see  what  corresponds  to  it.'      '  Divine  Lore  and  W'ixdom,'  No.  87. 

f  *  Divine  Providence,'  No.  220;  see  also  'True  Chrutim  ReKgilM,* 
No.  103. 


SPIRIT  IS  THE  CAUSE  OF  MATTER. 


259 


and  to  think  of  the  inmost  substances  of  this  Natural  World  as 
forming  the  ground,  the  bases,  the  floors,  the  continents,  the 
cuticles  of  the  visible  objects  of  the  Spiritual  World. 

Whilst  it  is  common  to  speak  of  the  Spiritual  World  as 
far  off,  beyond  reckoning,  Swedenborg  declares  it  to  be  the 
life  and  cause  of  the  Natural  World;  just  as  really  and  as 
intimately  as  a  Man's  Spirit  is  the  life  and  cause  of  his  Body. 
He  maintains  that  every  drop  of  water  and  every  grain  of 
sand  has  a  spiritual  existence  in  the  Spiritual  World ;  that, 
in  a  word,  the  Material  World  is  the  Body  of  the  Spiritual 
World,  and  that  in  Nature  there  is  nothing  which  was  not 
first  in  Spirit.  Hence,  writing  of  the  perfect  unity,  corre- 
spondence and  dependence  of  the  Inner  and  Outer  Worlds, 
he  says — 

1  The  whole  Natural  World  corresponds  to  the  Spiritual 
*  World  collectively  and  in  every  part ;  for  the  Natural  World 
1  exists  and  subsists  from  the  Spiritual  World,  just  as  an  effect 
'  does  from  its  cause. 

'  All  things  which  exist  in  Nature,  from  the  least  to  the 
1  greatest,  exist  and  subsist  from  the  Spiritual  World,  and 
c  both  Worlds  from  the  Divine. 

*  Whenever  I  have  been  in  company  with  Angels,  the 
1  objects  in  Heaven  appeared  so  exactly  like  those  in  the 
i  World,  that  I  knew  no  other  than  that  I  was  on  Earth.'* 

It  may  be  said,  Allowing  the  nearness,  union  and  perfect 
correspondence  of  the  Spiritual  World  with  the  Material 
World  now  under  our  eyes,  Where  is  the  space  of  its  exist- 
ence ?  and,  By  what  Sun  is  it  lighted  up  "? 

The  finer  substances  of  Nature,  it  has  been  observed,  form 
the  gross  outsides  of  Spirit ;  and  as  we  ascend  from  earthy  to 
aerial  existences,  and  thence  to  heat,  light  and  electricity,  the 
notions  of  space,  which  we  attach  to  flesh  and  blood,  and  bricks 
and  mortar,  become  more  and  more  inapplicable.    A  man  at 


*  1  Heaven  and  Hell,'  Nos.  89,  106  and  174. 

s  2 


200 


SPACE  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD. 


death,  testifies  Swedenborg,  escapes  from  his  Material  Body 
as  from  a  rent  or  worn-out  vesture,  carrying  with  him  every 
member,  faculty  and  function  complete  with  Dot  one  wanting; 
yet  the  corpse  is  as  heavy  as  when  he  dwelt  therein.  1  Nature,' 
he  says,  '  commences  from  the  Sun,'  but  Spirit  is  above  Nature 
and  our  glorious  Sun  to  the  Angels  is  '  as  somewhat  of  thic  k 
'  darkness/  *  1  lence  we  need  not  be  surprised  when  lie  informs 
us,  that — 

4  Although  all  things  in  Heaven  appear  to  be  in  place  and 
1  in  space  exactly  as  in  the  World  (with  this  difference,  that 
'  they  are  in  smaller  formsj")  still  the  Angels  have  no  idea  of 
'place  and  space. \  ....  But  whereas  Angels  and  Spirits 
*  see  with  their  eves  as  Men  do,  and  objects  cannot  be  seen 
1  but  in  space,  therefore  in  the  Spiritual  World  there  appear 
1  spaces  like  the  spaces  on  Earth  ;  which,  nevertheless,  are  not 
{  spaces  but  appearances ;  for  they  are  not  fixed  and  stationary 
c  as  on  Earth  ;  they  may  be  lengthened  and  shortened,  changed 
i  and  varied,  and  cannot  be  determined  by  measure. '§ 

The  phenomena  of  light  and  of  other  imponderables  will 
suggest  many  hints  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  existence  of 
this  Inner  World,  where  are  all  the  pleasant  appearances  of 
space,  without  any  of  the  dreary  reality  whereby  in  this 
World  long  months  are  fixed  between  friends  in  England  and 
Australia ;  except  indeed  when  they  call  to  their  aid  one  of 
Nature's  finer  substances  through  the  electric  wire. 

{  If  in  the  Spiritual  World  two  de-ire  intensely  to  see  each 
{  other,  that  desire  at  once  brings  about  a  meeting.  When 
1  any  Angel  goes  from  one  place  to  another,  whether  it  is  in 
1  his  own  city,  or  in  the  courts,  or  the  gardens,  or  to  others  out 
(  of  his  own  city,  he  arrives  sooner  or  later  just  as  he  is  ardent 
4  or  indifferent,  the  way  itself  being  shortened  or  lengthened 
'  in  proportion. 


*  1  Heaven  and  IfaU.'  N<>«.  110  and  122.  f  1  Divine  Lore  and  Wi^lmu,'1  N<>.  ",2. 
t  '  Hcnr.fi n  and  HfiU, '  No.  191.  £  4  Dirini  Lore  and  H7*W,'  No.  7 


THE  ACTION  OF  MIND  ON  THE  WOliLD. 


261 


4  Changes  of  place  in  the  Spiritual  World  are  effected  by 
1  changes  of  the  Mind.  By  such  changes  I  also  have  been 
4  conducted  by  the  Lord  into  the  Heavens,  and  to  various 
1  Earths  in  the  Universe ;  but  I  was  present  as  to  the  Spirit 
1  only,  whilst  my  Body  remained  in  the  same  place.  All  the 
4  Angels  move  in  this  manner,  and  hence  have  no  distances. 

1  Change  of  place  being  only  change  of  state,  it  is  evident 
'  that  approximations  in  the  Spiritual  World  arise  from  simili- 
i  tudes  of  Mind  and  removals  from  dissimilitudes  ;  and  thus 

L  spaces  are  merely  signs  of  inner  differences  From 

1  this  cause  alone  the  Hells  are  altogether  separated  from  the 
4  Heavens.'* 

The  Spiritual  World  throughout  he  represents  as  perfectly 
flexile  under  the  action  of  the  Minds  of  its  Inhabitants.  The 
character  of  a  Spirit,  he  tells  us,  is  reproduced  in  everything 
which  surrounds  him.  Even  here,  we  find,  nations  and 
individuals  depicting  their  inner  life  on  the  face  of  the  Outer 
World.  The  physiognomist  divines  the  unseen  Mind  from 
the  features,  dress,  manners,  and  garniture  ;  he  reads  the 
cause  in  its  effects.  But  in  the  Material  World  the  Mind  is 
hindered  and  stiffened  in  its  outcome  by  the  grossness  of  the 
element  through  which  it  works,  and  only  the  stronger  and 
more  persistent  affections  reach  the  surface.  In  the  Spiritual 
World  every  emotion,  every  thought  instantly  appears  on  the 
countenance,  and  diffuses  its  influence  over  body,  dress,  furni- 
ture, and  landscape, — all,  in  fact,  with  which  the  Mind  is  in 
connection.  Hence  the  Mind  which  is  a  Heaven,  repeats 
itself  in  external  loveliness  and  order,  and  a  Mind  which  is  a 
Hell,  in  external  ugliness  and  disorder. 

As  has  been  said,  there  is  nothing  in  Xature  which  is  not 
first  in  Spirit;  that  all  things  in  Xature  are  produced  from 
correspondent  things  in  Spirit ;  it  follows  as  a  consequence, 
that  there  is  a  Spiritual  Sun  which  lights  the  Spiritual  World 


*  '  Heaven  and  HelV  Nos.  192-5. 


262  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  SPIRITUAL  SUN. 

and  is  the  origin  and  life  of  our  Natural  Sun  and  all  the  other 
Suns  of  the  Natural  Universe.    Thus  Swedenborg  states — 

4  There  is  one  only  substance,  the  source  of  all  things,  and 
4  the  Sun  of  the  Spiritual  World  is  that  substance.  .  .  .  That 
4  Sun  is  the  first  of  Creation ;  all  other  things  proceed  from 
1  it,  and  depend  on  it ;  the  Natural  Suns  are  merely  its 
4  mediums  or  substitutes.* 

4  They  who  think  only  from  Nature  cannot  comprehend, 
1  that  there  is  light  in  Heaven,  when  vet  that  light  far  exceeds 
4  the  mid-day  light  of  the  World.  I  have  often  seen  it. 
1  When  I  first  heard  the  Angels  say,  that  the  light  of  the 
4  World  is  little  better  than  shade  in  comparison  with  the 
4  light  of  Heaven  I  wondered  ;  but  since  I  have  seen  it,  I  can 
4  testify  that  it  is  so.  Its  whiteness  and  brightness  surpass  all 
4  description,  and  everything  which  I  have  seen  in  Heaven 
4  appeared  more  clearly,  and  therefore  more  distinctly,  in  that 
4  light,  than  natural  objects  appear  on  Earth." f 

Such  is  the  constitution  of  the  Spiritual  World  of  which 
he  professed  himself  a  denizen  :  the  means  whereby  he  attained 
the  privilege  are  thus  explained. 

Terrestrial  Man,  being  a  Summary  of  the  Universe, 
comprising  in  epitome  with  Mind  and  Body  every  degree 
of  Creation,  has  in  bim  all  that  an  Angel — or  Devil — has, 
plus  a  Material  Body.  Death  merely  strips  off  that  overcoat 
and  reveals  the  Angel — or  Devil.  His  Body  of  flesh  and 
blood  is  transfused  in  every  particle  and  tissue  by  a  Spiritual 
Body,  whose  externals  are  woven  from  the  finer  substances  of 
Nature.  He  is  at  once  an  Inhabitant  of  Two  Worlds.  Out- 
wardly he  is  a  subject  of  the  Sun  of  Nature ;  inwardly  he  is 
a  subject  of  the  Sun  of  Spirit.  Outwardly  he  may  be  a 
Swede,  a  Dutchman,  or  an  Englishman  ;  inwardly  he  is  an 
Angel  or  Devil,  associated  with  kindred  Spirits  in  Heaven  or 
Hell. 


*  1  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,'  Nos.  300, 152-3.  t  'Heaven  and  UeU,1  No.  126. 


SWEDEN  BO  KG  AMPHIBIOUS. 


263 


What  Swedenborg  then  asks  us  to  believe,  is,  that  this  fact, 
which  will  become  manifest  to  every  one  of  us  at  the  hour 
of  our  decease,  may  be  anticipated  during  our  present  life  in 
Nature ;  that  in  a  word,  the  Spiritual  Body  may  for  a  season 
be  partially  relieved  from  its  Material  vesture ;  and  the  Inner 
Eye  and  the  Inner  Ear  enter  into  the  Sights  and  Sounds,  and 
the  Inner  Lungs  breathe  the  Air,  of  the  Spiritual  World ;  and 
afterwards  resume  their  functions  submerged  anew  in  the 
organs  of  the  flesh. 

Such,  he  alleges,  was  the  means  whereby  he  visited  the 
Inner  World  habitually,  and  returned  to  the  affairs  of  the 
Outer.  His  claim  was  a  claim  to  amphibiousness ;  to  life  in 
Spirit  and  Xature  alternately. 

The  possession  by  him  of  this  power  of  easy  transition  of 
sense  and  consciousness  from  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  World 
arose,  it  would  appear,  from  some  peculiarities  in  his  physical 
organization.  In  i  The  Animal  Kingdom '  he  spoke  much  of 
the  c'oncord  existing  between  Thought  and  Respiration,  be- 
tween the  motion  of  the  Brain  and  the  motion  of  the  Lun°;s. 
His  attention  was  drawn  to  these  phenomena  by  the  marked 
illustration,  which  they  found  in  his  own  system.  The  sus- 
pension of  respiration  under  deep  thought,  common  to  all  men, 
was  preternaturally  developed  in  him  ;  and  in  his  Diary  he 
makes  a  variety  of  observations  on  his  case  ;  as  for  instance — 

4  My  respiration  has  been  so  formed  by  the  Lord,  as  to 
1  enable  me  to  breathe  inwardly  for  a  long  time  without 
1  the  aid  of  the  external  air,  my  respiration  being  directed 
(  within,  and  my  outward  senses,  as  well  as  actions,  still  con- 
c  tinuing  in  their  vigour,  which  is  only  possible  with  persons, 

1  who  have  been  so  formed  by  the  Lord  I  have  also 

L  been  instructed,  that  my  breathing  was  so  directed,  without 
'  my  being  aware  of  it,  in  order  to  enable  me  to  be  with 

L  Spirits,  and  to  speak  with  them  It  has  been  shewn 

c  me  that  each  of  the  bodily  senses  has  its  peculiar  action  from 
'  respiration  Moreover  it  was  granted  me  to  gather 


264 


swedenborg's  abnormal  respiration. 


1  the  same  thing  from  much  experience  before  I  spoke  with 
*  Spirits,  and  to  see  that  breathing  corresponds  with  thought ; 
'  as  for  example  during  my  childhood,  when  I  tried  purposely 
1  to  hold  my  breath,  also  at  morning  and  evening  prayers,  and 
4  when  I  attempted  to  make  the  rhythm  of  my  breath  correspond 
1  with  my  heart's  pulsation,  in  which  case  my  understanding 
1  began  almost  to  be  obliterated.  Furthermore  afterwards, 
1  when  I  was  writing  and  using  my  imagination,  at  which 
1  time  I  could  observe  that  I  held  my  breath,  which  became 
1  in  a  manner  tacit.'  * 

Again,  he  tells  us,  that  there  are  many  species  of  respira- 
tions inducing  divers  introductions  to  the  Spirits  and  Angels, 
with  whom  the  Lungs  conspire  |f  and  goes  on  to  say,  that  he 
was  at  first  habituated  to  insensible  breathing  in  his  infancy, 
when  at  morning  and  evening  prayers,  and  occasionally  after- 
wards, when  exploring  the  concordance  between  the  Heart, 
Lungs,  and  Brain,  and  particularly  when  writing  his  physio- 
logical works  ;  that  for  a  number  of  years,  beginning  with 
his  childhood,  he  was  introduced  to  internal  respiration  mainly 
by  intense  speculations,  in  which  breathing  stops,  for  other- 
wise intense  thought  is  impossible.  When  Heaven  was 
opened  to  him,  and  he  spoke  with  Spirits,  sometimes  for 
nearly  an  hour  he  scarcely  breathed  at  all.  The  same  phe- 
nomena occurred  when  he  was  going  to  sleep,  and  he  thinks 
that  his  preparation  went  forward  during  repose.  So  various 
was  his  breathing,  so  obedient  did  it  become,  that  he  thereby 
obtained  the  range  of  the  Higher  World,  and  access  to  all  its 
Spheres.} 

Prolonged  suspension  of  respiration  is  displayed  in  persons 
who  fall  into  trance,  in  which  state  the  Body  seems  dead,  and 


*  'Murium  Spinhiale,'  Nos.  3,317,  3,320,  September  25,  1748. 

f  1  The  internal  respiration  of  the  Good  is  in  Heaven,  and  of  the  Evil  in 
'  Hell.'    *  Dirinr  Lore  tmd  Wisdom,'  No.  393. 

|  '  Murium  Spirihude?  No.  3,464,  October  4,  1748. 


SPIRIT  VISION  VERY  COMMON. 


265 


on  return  to  consciousness  they  frequently  bring  back  strange 
fragments  of  other-world  experience;  also  in  the  Hindoo 
Yogi,  of  whom  wonderful  tales  are  told  of  their  interment  for 
months,  without  food  or  air,  and  then  of  their  return  to  life, 
after  certain  secret  processes ;  and  also  in  the  hybernation  of 
animals,  or  their  breathless  winter  sleep. 

Swedenborg  although  peculiar  in  the  freedom  and  ease 
with  which  he  exercised  his  faculty  of  double  sight  is  far  from 
unique.    Imlac  says — 

'  That  the  dead  are  seen  no  more  I  will  not  undertake  to 
1  maintain  against  the  concurrent  and  unvaried  testimony  of 
'  all  ages  and  of  all  nations.  There  is  no  people,  rude  or 
1  learned,  among  whom  apparitions  of  the  dead  are  not  related 
1  and  believed.  This  opinion,  which  perhaps  prevails  as  far  as 
1  human  nature  is  diffused,  could  become  universal  only  by  its 
1  truth :  those  that  never  heard  of  one  another  would  not  have 
L  agreed  in  a  tale  which  nothing  but  experience  can  make 
4  credible.  That  it  is  doubted  by  single  cavillers,  can  very 
4  little  weaken  the  general  evidence ;  and  some  who  deny  it 
4  with  their  tongues  confess  it  by  their  fears.'* 

History  and  biography  abound  in  instances  of  vision  into 
the  Spiritual  World.  The  Bible  is  strewn  thick  with  cases 
from  end  to  end.  There  is  scarcely  a  family  without  its  sacred 
traditions  of  ghostly  manifestations ;  and  modern  clairvoyance 
and  spiritualism  supply  a  multitude  of  experiences  in  illustra- 
tion and  confirmation  of  Swedenborg's,  which  cavillers  will 
find  it  easier  to  ridicule  than  to  examine  and  understand. 

Between  most  Seers  and  Swedenborg  there  is  this  differ- 
ence, however ;  their  faculty  of  Inner  Vision  has  been  exer- 
cised momentarily,  or  occasionally,  or  has  been  induced  by 
artificial  effort,  whilst  his  was  natural,  we  may  say,  congenital, 
was  developed  unsought,  and  was  enjoyed  uninterruptedly,  or 


*  Imlac,  in  Dr.  Johnson's  4  Basselas,  Prince  of  Abyssinia,'  published 
April,  1759. 


266 


THE  INNER  AND  OUTER  BODIES. 


nearly  so,  for  the  long  term  of  twenty-seven  years.  As  little 
indisposed  to  magnify  his  office  as  his  father,  the  Bishop,  we 
find  him  saying — 

J  The  Lord's  appearance,  and  the  opening  to  me  of  the 
'  Spiritual  World,  is  more  excellent  than  all  Miracles.  An 
1  experience  like  mine,  no  one  from  Creation  has  had.  The 
4  men  of  the  Golden  Age  conversed  indeed  with  Angels,  but 
1  only  in  natural  light ;  but  to  me  it  has  been  granted  to  be  in 
4  spiritual  and  natural  light  at  the  same  time.  By  this  ex- 
1  perience  I  have  been  enabled  to  see  the  wonderful  things  of 
4  Heaven,  and  to  be  amongst  Angels  as  one  of  themselves, 
4  and  to  learn  Truths  in  Light  itself,  and  thus  to  see  and  teach 
4  them,  and  to  be  led  of  the  Lord. 

4  The  things  revealed  in  my  Writings  are  not  Miracles, 
4  because  every  Man  as  to  his  Spirit  is  in  the  Spiritual  World, 
4  without  separation  from  his  Body  in  the  Natural  World ; 
4  but  in  my  case  there  has  been  a  certain  separation,  only 
1  however  as  to  the  Understanding,  or  intellectual  part  of  my 
4  Mind,  and  not  as  to  the  Will,  or  voluntary  part.'* 

We  may  conclude,  that  had  the  separation  gone  on  to 
the  Will,  death  would  have  ensued,  for  then  the  connection 
between  the  Inner  and  the  Outer  Bodies  would  have  been 
entirely  dissolved. 

4 I  have,'  he  says,  4  conversed  with  Spirits  as  a  Spirit,  and 
1  in  doing  so  they  knew  no  other  than  that  I  was  one  of  them- 
4  selves.  My  Interior  Body  they  saw,  but  my  Material  Body 
4  was  invisible  to  them.'f 

Those  who  indulge  in  deep  meditations,  at  such  times 
make  their  appearance  in  the  Spiritual  World — — 

4  Every  Man  as  to  his  Spirit  is  in  society  with  Spirits,  even 
4  while  he  lives  in  the  Body,  and  at  death  he  openly  appears 
4  in  the  company  of  those  Spirits  with  whom  he  has  been 


*  '  Diarium  SpiHtuale?  Appendix,  Pars,  vii.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  157,  169. 

f  'Heaven  and  Hell,'  No.  436. 


OPENING  OF  THE  INNER  EYES. 


267 


1  tacitly  associated.  During  his  worldly  life  he  is  not  seen  in 
1  Spirit  because  he  is  immersed  in  Nature.  They  however, 
1  who  are  given  to  intense  and  abstract  thought,  sometimes 
c  appear  in  their  own  spiritual  society,  because  they  are  then 
1  in  the  Spirit.  These  are  easily  distinguished  from  the  Spirits, 
4  who  are  actually  there,  for  they  walk  about  like  persons  in 
4  profound  contemplation,  silent  and  regardless  of  others,  as 
4  though  they  did  not  see  them,  and  when  any  Spirit  accosts 
4  them,  they  instantly  vanish.'* 

Next  time  we  are  in  4  a  brown  study '  and  are  suddenly 
started  into  external  consciousness,  let  us  remember  where  we 
have  been,  and  how  we  were  awakened. 

In  profound  thought,  as  has  been  observed,  respiration 
becomes  slow,  tacit,  and  almost  or  entirely  suspended.  The 
elevation  of  the  Inner  above  the  Outer  Body  in  a  measure 
takes  place,  and  were  it  only  sufficiently  carried  forward  open 
and  free  intercourse  with  the  Spiritual  World  would  be  the 
result. 

An  excellent  illustration  of  the  presence  of  the  Spiritual 
World  behind  the  veil  of  Nature  and  the  means  and  readiness 
with  which  it  may  be  discerned  is  found  in  2  Kings,  vi.  13-17. 

Elisha,  compassed  about  with  horses,  chariots  and  a  great 
host,  sent  by  the  King  of  Syria  to  seize  him,  was  on  a  moun- 
tain with  his  servant,  who,  full  of  terror,  exclaimed,  11  Alas ! 
44  my  master,  how  shall  we  do?"  And  he  answered,  "  Fear 
"  not,  for  they  that  be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with 
"  them."  And  Elisha  prayed,  and  said,  44  Lord,  I  pray  Thee 
"  open  Ms  eyes,  that  he  may  see."  And  the  Lord  opened  the 
eyes  of  the  young  man,  and  he  saw  :  and  behold  the  mountain 
full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round  about  Elisha.  f 


*  '  Heaven  and  Hell?  No.  438. 

f  Swedenborg  explains  all  the  Angelic  Manifestations  recorded  in  the 
Scriptures  by  this  opening  of  the  spiritual  sight. 

'  It  must  be  observed,'  he  writes,  'that  Angels  cannot  be  seen  by  Man 
'  with  his  bodily  eyes,  but  only  with  the  eyes  of  the  Spirit  which  is  within 


268 


SWEDEN BORG  CALLED  BY  THE  LORD. 


The  natural  eyes  of  the  young  man  were  open,  savs 
Swedenborg,  for,  How  otherwise  could  he  have  seen  the 
Syrian  host,  and  have  been  afraid?  Elisha  prayed  that  his 
eyes  might  be  opened.  What  eyes?  Simply  the  eyes  of  his 
Spirit,  which  done,  he  was  enabled  to  perceive  the  heavculv 
guardianship  extended  over  his  master.. 

These  notes  may  in  a  measure  help  to  bring  Swedenborg's 
Seership  within  our  comprehension,  as  merely  a  high  and 
peculiar  developement  of  powers  latent  in  us  all. 

There  are  many  who  will  hear  with  some  composure,  that 
Swedenborg  was  acquainted  with  the  People  of  Heaven  and 
Hell ;  but  for  hi3  assertion,  that  his  Spiritual  Travels  were 
prosecuted  under  an  immediate  Divine  commission,  thev  have 
no  tolerance.  This  scepticism  about  Divine  appointments 
calls  for  some  notice. 

There  are  some  twenty  thousand  clergymen  in  England. 
Every  one  of  them  at  his  ordination  was  addressed  by  the 
Bishop  as  "  Called  to  the  high  Dignity,  and  the  weighty  Office 
u  and  Charge  of  Messenger,  Watchman  and  Steward  of  the 
u  Lord  ;"  and  when  each  of  them  was  asked  by  the  Bishop, 
u  Do  you  think  in  your  heart,  that  you  be  truly  called  accord- 
u  ing  to  the  Will  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  Order  and 


'  him  This  is  effected  in  a  moment,  when  it  pleases  the  Lord  that 

'a  man  should  see  spiritual  things;  and  in  this  case  he  knows  no  other, 
1  than  that  he  sees  with  the  eyes  of  the  Body.  Thus  Angels  were  seen  by 
'  Abraham,  Lot,  Manoah,  and  the  Prophets  ;  and  thus  the  Lord  was  seen  by 
1  His  Disciples  after  His  resurrection  ;  and  in  this  manner,  also,  Angels  have 
'been  seen  by  me.' — '  Heaven  and  Hell,'  No.  76. 

This  appears  to  be  too  broad  a  generalization.  Granting  that  the 
Spiritual  World  and  its  People  may'  be  seen  by  the  unsheathing  of  the 
spiritual  eyes,  May  not  Spirits  make  themselves  manifest  to  the  natural  eyes 
by  a  converse  process?  by  clothing  themselves  with  Nature?  by  adding 
grosser  to  the  finer  substances  of  Nature,  which  compose  the  externals  of 
their  spiritual  bodies  until  they  become  visible  on  earth  }  I  apprehend  that 
the  appearance  of  ghosts  as  pale,  ethereal  spectres,  is  thus  to  be  explained, 
and  not  by  the  opening  of  the  spiritual  sight  of  those  who  see  them.  Several 
of  the  modern  '  spiritual  manifestations'  are  in  this  way  to  be  accounted  for. 


CALLED  OF  THE  LORD. 


269 


u  Ministry  of  the  Priesthood?"  the  answer  of  each  was,  "  I 
"  think  it."  Every  Bishop  and  Archbishop  at  his  inaugura- 
tion has  professed  obedience  to  the  same  Divine  Voice,  and 
solemnly  asserted,  "  I  am  persuaded,  that  I  am  called  to 
"  this  ministration  according  to  the  will  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
"  Christ."  Every  Dissenting  Minister,  in  one  form  or  other, 
has  made  a  similar  acknowledgement  of  a  Divine  Summons, 
and  the  like  is  true  of  every  Priest  of  Rome. 

Swedenborg  therefore  reporting  himself  as  c  Called  and 
c  sent  of  God'  is  not  singular.  He  has  a  host  of  comrades, 
and  any  sneers  at  his  expense  have  a  sweeping  application. 

1  Called  and  sent  of  God ! '  Why  should  these  words 
startle  any  as  incredible  ?  Is  not  every  one  sent  of  God,  who 
does  his  duty  ?  Is  not  God  manifested  in  every  one,  who 
obeys  the  Divine  Will  ? 

The  length  and  breadth  of  the  intellectual  atheism  pre- 
valent at  this  day  is  perfectly  astounding,  and  is  by  no  means 
limited  to  Secularists.  Question  for  instance  one  of  those 
Parsons,  who  has  avowed,  in  all  the  state  and  solemnity  of  the 
Ordination  Service,  that  he  "  has  been  truly  called  according  to 
u  the  Will  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  and  there  is  every  likeli- 
hood, that  he  will  fritter  away  his  profession  into  1  a  mere  form.' 
Ask  him  in  the  broad  daylight  of  common-sense,  u  Do  you 
"  think  God  has  sent  you  to  your  Parish  to  read  sermons  as  truly 
u  as  He  ever  sent  Moses  and  Samuel  to  Israel?"  and  you  will 
probably  be  put  off  with,  u  I  fear  not ;  but  I  hope,  I  humbly 

"  trust  "  and  other  evasions  of  that  sort.     He  might  be 

further  asked,  u  Do  you  then  believe,  that  since  the  Bible  was 
"  finished,  God  has  fallen  into  a  habit  of  making  indistinct  calls 
"  so  that  His  Servants  are  left  in  constant  doubt  as  to  whether 
"  they  are  about  His  business  or  not?"  but  a  home-thrust  like 
this  would  probably  be  parried  as  profane.  Rare  indeed  is  any 
heart-felt  confidence  in  God.  The  Divine  Omnipresence  and 
Omnipotence  we  usually  find  is  no  more  than  a  melodious 
confession  'from  the  teeth  outwards;'  and,  than  such  Melodious 


270 


THE  LORD'S  OMNIPRESENCE. 


Confessors,  there  are  none  readier  to  stigmatize  as  impious 
and  fanatical  any  Christian  who  associates  God  with  what  is 
called  the  vulgar  business  of  life,  or  the  politics  of  the  world. 

In  our  Creeds,  in  our  Prayers,  and  in  our  Bibles,  there  is 
no  sanction  for  this  gulf  between  God  and  Man.  The  Catechism 
puts  in  every  child's  mouth  these  words,  i  To  do  my  duty  in 
'  that  state  of  life,  unto  which  it  shall  please  God  to  call  me  /' 
and  surely  the  Church  means,  that  the  child  should  believe 
that  God  has  called  him  as  pointedly  and  as  actually  as  He 
ever  called  St.  Peter  or  St.  Paul;  for  the  Church  can  never 
teach,  that  God  does  some  things  more  and  some  things  less 
effectually,  or  that  He  works  carefully  and  carelessly. 

George  Herbert  sings — 

i  Teach  me,  my  God  and  King, 

1  In  all  things  Thee  to  see ; 
4  And,  what  I  do  in  any  thing 

<  To  do  it  as  for  Thee. 

1  A  servant  with  this  clause 

c  Makes  drudgery  Divine : 
4  Who  sweeps  a  room,  as  for  Thy  laws, 

'  Makes  that,  and  the  action,  fine.' 

It  would  far  exceed  my  limits  to  bring  out  the  full  weight 
of  testimony  supplied  by  the  Scriptures  and  the  Church  against 
our  faithless  evasions  of  the  Divine  Presence  in  the  thoughts 
and  deeds  «of  daily  life.  Let  these  sayings  of  the  Apostle 
John  suffice — 

1  He  that  doeth  Good  is  of  God ;  but  he  that  doeth  Evil 
l.  hath  not  seen  God. 

'  God  is  Love  ;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  Love  dwelleth 
( in  God,  and  God  in  him. 

'  If  we  love  one  another,  God  dwelleth  in  us.'  * 

How  bold  are  the  Scriptures  !    How  modern  Piety  would 


*  3  John  i.  11.    1  John  iv.  16,  12. 


HOW  SWEDENBORG  IS  TO  BE  VERIFIED. 


271 


curse  him  as  a  blasphemer,  who  accepted  in  any  practical  sense 
these  aphorisms,  and  in  the  love  of  his  own  heart,  and  in  the 
responsive  affections  of  wife,  kindred  and  neighbours  should 
recognize  the  very  being  of  the  Most  High.  Yet  until  John's 
words  are  thus  realized  we  can  be  little  else  than  Heathens, 
worshipping  an  unknown  Deity,  a  historical,  imaginary,  or 
metaphysical  spectre,  presiding  over  a  mechanical  Universe 
wound  up  at  Creation  and  warranted  to  run  till  Doomsday 
without  meddling. 

"  You  say  Swedenborg  was  sent  of  God ;  How  can  you 
11  prove  it?"  is  a  common  observation.  I  should  ask  the 
questioner,  "  How  would  you  have  it  proved  ?  By  miracles?  " 
Surely  not,  after  the  experience  we  have  had  of  miracles  as 
proofs.  Our  Lord  never  adduced  miracles  as  proofs  of  the 
truth  of  His  ministry ;  and  those  who  have  misused  them  for 
that  purpose  have  always,  and  happily,  signally  failed.  The 
labour  of  proof  has  only  been  doubled  by  the  adroit  demand 
for  proof  of  the  fact  of  the  miracles  themselves. 

There  is,  I  apprehend,  but  one  way  and  no  other  by 
which  Swedenborg's  message  can  be  ratified  as  Divine. 

We  know  that  God  appointed  bread  to  be  eaten,  because  it 
suits  the  stomach  and  nourishes  the  body.  Higher  or  better 
proof  than  this  of  Divine  appointment  we  can  neither  demand 
nor  imagine.  A  miracle  to  attest  that  bread  is  sent  of  God  to  be 
the  staff  of  life,  who  dreams  of? 

In  the  inner  region  of  the  Mind  the  like  is  true.  By  truth 
the  Mind  is  fed,  as  the  Body  is  by  bread.  1  Man  doth  not  live 
4  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of 
4  the  mouth  of  God.'  Truth  is  attested  Divine  through 
meeting  the  appetite  of  the  Mind,  and  ministering  to  its 
growth,  precisely  as  bread  is  verified  by  its  adaptation  to  the 
Body.  Than  such  congruity  between  demand  and  supply, 
between  the  Mind  and  the  Truth  there  can  be  no  evidence  of 
Divine  appointment,  which  is  worth  repeating.    He  who  seeks 


272  THE  TRUTH  MUST  BE  ITS  OWN  EVIDENCE. 


for  better  will  never  find  it,  and  he  who  is  content  with  less 
will  get  gorged  with  wind  and  poisoned  with  rubbish.* 

To  this  test  must  Swedenborg's  teachings  be  brought ;  h 
priori  none  can  tell  whether  thev  are  Divine  or  not.  Whether 
his  bread  is  good  or  bad,  or  innutritious  as  sand  or  sawdust, 
or  somewhat  good  and  somewhat  bad,  must  be  decided  by 
trying.  In  the  matter  of  Truth,  quite  as  much  as  that  of 
Pudding,  the  proof  is  in  the  eating.  Any  one  who  reads 
Swedenborg  and  finds  his  mind  nourished  and  strengthened 
by  his  words  may  safely  shut  his  ears  to  the  clatter  of  contro- 
versialists, prating  concerning  a  feast  of  which  they  know 
nothing  save  the  names  of  the  dishes. 

u  Truth  may  be  its  own  best  evidence,"  says  a  reader, 
M  but  Swedenborg,  in  the  passages  quoted  describing  his 
"  Divine  Call,  does  not  appear  to  leave  our  Minds  to  the 
M  simple  force  of  the  Truth  inherent  in  his  Message,  but 
M  tries  to  overawe  us  and  to  command  our  credence  by 
M  asseverations  of  his  Divine  Commission  J  and  I  am  con- 
u  cerned,  not  with  your  glosses,  but  to  ascertain  precisely 
M  Swedenborg's  position  and  meaning/' 


*  Conceniing  the  value  of  Evidences  a  friend  of  mine  relates  the  following 
admirable  anecdote — 

My  father  was  the  pastor  of  a  small  Baptist  Society  in  the  West  of  Scotland; 
and  the  author  of  a  treatise  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity  gave  him  a  copy  of 
his  book  for  the  puqiose  of  obtaining  his  criticism.  One  day  the  author  called 
when  my  father  was  out  and  was  received  by  my  mother.  Sitting  down  by 
the  table,  he  saw  his  book,  and  exclaimed,  "  Ah  !  the  Evidences.  It  was  to 
"  hear  your  husband's  opinion  of  this  book  that  I  called  to-day.  May  I  ask 
"if  you  have  read  it,  and  what  you  think  of  it?"  "No,  sir,"  said  my 
mother,  "  I  have  not  read  the  book :  the  gude  man  has  done  sae,  and  he 
"  seems  much  ta'en  up  wi'  it;  but  I've  nae  favour  for  works  o'  that  kind." 
"  Indeed,  Ma'am  !  I  am  sorry  to  find,  that  a  work  designed  to  prove  the 
"  truth  of  Christianity  should  be  viewed  unfavourably  by  you.'"  "  It  is  true, 
"  Sir,  though.  Christianity.  I  aiblins  think,  does  not  rest  on  Evidences  of 
"  your  sort;  and  I  think  it  sheer  waste  o'  time  either  writing  or  reading  them. 
"  For,  Sir,  the  Human  Family,  big  though  it  be,  has  just  two  classes;  them 
"  that  hae  Christian  Grace  and  them  that  hinna.  The  ae  class  dinna  need 
"  Evidences,  and  the  ither  winna  believe  them. 


BELIEF  CANNOT  BE  COMPELLED. 


273 


It  is  to  be  admitted  at  once,  that  such  is  the  case.  Sweden- 
borg  was  in  the  habit  of  parading  his  Divine  Call  as  if  it 
were  a  passport  to  confidence,  instead  of  suspicion ;  and  yet 
whilst  he  did  so,  no  man  ever  more  emphatically  and  profusely 
taught  the  impossibility  of  creating  belief  by  external  authority 
or  compulsion.  He  is  never  tired  of  telling  us  that  Faith  is 
the  result  of  the  conjunction,  in  the  Intellect,  of  the  Will 
with  Truth ;  and  that  if  the  Heart  has  no  affinity  for  Truth, 
whether  by  reason  of  Evil,  which  hates  the  Light,  or  from 
brutish  indifference,  Truth  in  the  mouth  can  be  no  more  than 
a  parrot-like  rattle  of  words,  which  are  denied  and  forgotten 
as  soon  as  bread  and  cheese  and  reputation  cease  to  be  the 
product  of  then  repetition.    Thus  he  says — 

1  It  is  a  Law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  Man  should 
1  not  be  forced  by  external  means  to  believe  and  love  the 
1  things  of  Religion. 

i  No  one  is  really  changed  by  Miracles  and  Signs  

1  It  cannot  be  denied,  that  Miracles  induce  belief  and  strongly 

*  persuade,  that  that  is  true,  which  is  said  and  taught  by  him, 
L  who  performs  Miracles.  .  .  .  Faith  induced  by  Miracles  is 
L  not  Faith,  but  persuasion ;  for  there  is  nothing  Rational  in 
L  it,  and  still  less  anything  Spiritual.  .  .  .  By  Miracles  and 
1  Signs  the  Wicked  may  be  driven  and  forced  into  Faith,  and 
1  even  into  worship  and  piety,  but  only  for  a  short  time ;  .  .  . 
f  for  their  Evils  being  shut  in,  struggle  and  wear  away  the 

*  crust  of  devotion  in  which  they  are  enclosed,  and  at  last  they 
4  break  out  with  renewed  strength ;  and  then  the  Miracle  or 
1  Sign  by  which  they  were  persuaded  is  resolved  into  a  Delusion, 
4  or  an  Artifice,  or  an  unusual  Operation  of  Nature. 

4  He  who  is  not  disposed  in  his  Heart  to  believe  the  Truth 
c  before  he  comprehends  it,  will  never  believe. 

1  A  man  only  receives  so  much  Truth  from  others  as  his 
1  Will  attracts  :  the  overplus  passes  away. 

1  All  the  Wicked  inwardly  deny  the  Truth,  how  much  so 
4  ever  they  may  confess  it  with  their  lips. 

T 


274 


YOU  CANNOT  BELIEVE  UNLESS  YOU  SEE. 


4  Faith  is  an  acknowledgement  that  a  tiling  is  so,  because  it 
1  is  true.  He  who  is  in  genuine  Faith  thinks  and  speaks  to 
i  this  effect — u  This  is  true,  and  therefore  I  believe  it."  If 
1  he  does  not  comprehend  a  sentiment,  and  sec  its  truth,  he 
4  will  say — u  I  do  not  know  whether  this  is  true  or  not,  thcre- 
■  u  fore  I  do  not  yet  believe  it.  How  can  T  believe  what  I  do 
c  "  not  comprehend?    Perhaps  it  may  be  false." 

1  The  Angels  utterly  reject  the  tenet,  That  the  Under- 
c  standing  ought  to  be  kept  in  subjection  to  Faith  ;  for,  they 
1  say,  u  How  can  you  believe  a  thing  when  you  do  not  see 
4  u  whether  it  is  true  or  not  ?"  and  should  any  one  affirm, 
1  that  what  he  advances  should  nevertheless  be  believed,  they 
1  reply,  u  Do  you  think  yourself  a  god,  that  I  am  to  believe 
'"you?  Or  that  I  am  mad,  that  I  should  believe  an  asser- 
L  u  tion  in  which  I  do  not  see  any  truth?  If  I  must  believe, 
c  "  cause  me  to  see  it."  The  dogmatizer  is  thus  constrained 
1  to  retire.  Indeed,  the  Wisdom  of  the  Angels  consists  solely 
1  in  this,  that  they  see  and  comprehend  what  they  think.' • 

Tt  would  be  easy  to  cite  pages  of  similar  purport  in  proof 
of  his  thorough  conviction,  that  Belief  is  governed  by  the 
Will ;  and  of  his  sense  of  the  utter  vanity  of  trying  to  com- 
mand credence  by  any  process  wrought  on  the  circumference 
of  Human  Nature.  In  one  place  after  describing  some  of 
the  Mysteries  of  the  Apocalypse  he  goes  on  to  say — 

L I  know  that  these  things  will  seem  to  many  to  exceed 
'their  apprehension;  but  the  reason  is.  because  it  is  not  the 
i  delight  of  their  Love  to  know  them.  If  it  were  the  delight 
*  of  their  Love,  they  would  not  only  clearly  perceive  them,  but 
1  would  also  desire  to  leam  more  concerning  such  things ;  for 
'  a  Man  loves  what  he  desires,  and  what  he  loves  is  his  delight; 
'  and  whatsoever  is  loved  passes  with  joy  and  with  tight  into 
1  the  comprehension  of  the  Mind.'f 

*  '  Divine  Providence,'  Nos.  120-133.    '  Arcana  CWlestio,'  Nop.  1.071.  3>o:i. 
1  Heaven  and  Hell,'  No.  506.    '  Doctrine  of  Faith,1  Nos.  2,  4. 
f  1  Apocalypse  Explained,1  No.  92. 


SPECIAL  AND  GENERAL  PROVIDENCE. 


275 


If  therefore  Swedenborg  was  ever  tempted,  or  if  he  ever 
appears,  to  use  his  Divine  Call  and  Spiritual  Intercourse  as  a 
means  of  dominion  over  the  reason  of  his  reader  he  was  acting 
at  variance  with  his  own  principles.  In  such  a  case  Ins  reader 
must  deal  with  him  after  his  own  description  of  the  Angelic 
method,  saying — 

"  Do  you  think  yourself  a  god,  that  I  am  to  believe  you  ? 
"  Or,  that  I  am  mad,  that  I  should  believe  an  assertion  in 
H  which  I  do  not  see  any  truth?  If  I  must  believe,  cause  me 
u  to  see.  How  can  I  believe  when  I  do  not  know  whether 
M  what  you  say  be  true  or  not  ?" 

The  specialty  which  Swedenborg  attributes  to  his  Divine 
Call  and  Mission  is  a  great  annoyance  to  many.  Like  a 
Miracle  they  cannot  get  it  to  he  straight  under  their  doctrine 
of  4  General  Laws  by  which,  Sir,  this  Universe  is  governed ;' 
and  they  feel,  that  they  must  either  pronounce  him  a  fanatic, 
or,  that  he  will  throw  their  intellectual  system  into  chaos. 
There  is  something  to  be  said  for  and  against  their  perplexity. 

The  notion  of  special  or  exceptional  Divine  Actions  is  bom 
out  of  human  narrowness  and  weakness.  Finite  and  imperfect 
Man  does  some  things  well  and  many  ill ;  and  on  every  side 
he  is  girt  about  with  a  few  possibilities  mingled  with  an  infinity 
of  impossibilities.  He  -lays  out  his  strength  here  and  there 
and  withdraws  it  here  and  there ;  of  some  things  he  is  careful, 
of  some  careless,  of  some  careful  at  one  time  and  careless  at 
another.  This,  our  weakness  and  changefulness,  we  impute  to 
God,  Whom  we  yet  verbally  confess  Infinite,  Almighty,  with 
no  variableness  neither  shadow  of  turning. 

This  Anthropomorphism,  this  tendency  to  think  of  God  as 
a  Powerful  Man,  elevated  and  glorious,  but  labouring  under 
some  of  our  own  difficulties  and  limitations  is  perhaps  in- 
stinctive, and  not  entirely  avoidable  by  the  best  of  us.  The 
Earth  cannot  but  appear  to  us  flat,  and  the  centre  of  the  Solar 
System  ;  but  when  we  reason  we  correct  the  inevitable  appear- 
ance by  our  better  knowledge,  and  remember,  that  it  is  a  ball 

T  2 


276 


ANTHROPOMORPHISM. 


swimming  round  the  sun.  The  transfer  from  ourselves  to 
God  of  intermittent  and  irregular  energy  is  nullified  by  the 
study  of  Natural  Science,  which  brings  no  fact  into  more 
vivid  prominence  than  the  infinity,  the  omnipresence,  and  the 
equality  of  the  Divine  Skill  and  Care.  Nothing  in  His 
Handiwork  is  slurred:  there  is  the  same  perfection  in  the 
wing  of  a  fly  as  in  the  eye  of  a  Newton. 

A  man,  who  is  usually  styled  a  Philosopher,  fancies  he  sees 
a  routine  in  the  Universe,  and  thereon  infers,  that  its  order  is 
fixed  and  self-regulative.  An  anthropomorphic  illusion  besets 
him.  Having  conceived  the  idea  of  a  universal  Creator  and 
Governor,  the  Philosopher  instinctively  tries  to  imagine  how 
He  manages  His  Universe  ;  and  thinking  how  he  himself  would 
deal  with  vast  and  intricate  affairs,  he  sympathetically  con- 
cludes, that  God  conducts  His  infinite  business  on  the  rough 
and  by  averages.  It  is  true  the  Preacher  speaks  of  the  Divine 
Hand  as  manifest  in  the  least  things  as  in  the  greatest ;  or  rather, 
that  to  the  Infinite  there  is  nothing  little  and  nothing  great ; 
but  out  of  the  pulpit  it  is  quite  likely  the  Preacher  himself 
would  be  shocked  to  hear  his  words  taken  seriously,  and  literally 
applied  to  the  current  and  shabby  events  of  ordinary  life.  It 
so  happens  that  in  these  days  the  Pious  accept  all  that  the 
Philosophic  have  to  say  on  the  method  of  the  Divine  Govern- 
ment ;  with  the  reservation,  that  God  frequently  broke  through 
His  settled  governmental  routine  in  the  Bible  Ages,  but  rarely 
in  these  centuries,  and  only  on  adequate  and  solemn  emergencies, 
though  never  to  the  extent  of  a  Scriptural  Miracle.  Habitu- 
ally, the  Pious  assert,  we  live  under  an  average  Providence, 
which  now  and  then  opens  and  gives  place  to  a  special  effort 
of  the  Divine  Care ;  as  for  instance,  when  a  saintly  person  is 
delivered  from  sudden  death  by  fire,  or  shipwreck,  or  from 
some  other  serious  and  unusual  mischance.  Sober  Piety 
however  considers  it  enthusiastic,  if  not  dangerous,  to  trust 
too  far,  or  to  speak  too  much  of  these  special  and  extraordinary 
interpositions  of  the  Divine  Hand  ;  and  thus  Philosophy  and 


NO  TWO  THINGS  ALIKE  IN  THE  UNIVEBSE.  277 

Piety  conspire  to  eliminate  God  from  His  Universe  ;  to  turn 
His  Xame  into  a  mere  inscription,  and  to  place  in  His  Throne 
a  figment  styled  General  Law. 

The  notion  of  '  general  self-regulating  laws,'  under  which 
the  Universe  and  the  Beings  therein  were  created,  and  by 
which  they  gender  and  subsist,  is  a  mere  scientific  hallucina- 
tion. If  there  were  any  sameness  in  the  Universe,  if  any  two 
things  or  any  two  events  were  precisely  alike,  we  might 
suppose  that  one  of  them  was  the  result  of  design,  and  that 
the  other  was  its  mechanical  or  thoughtless  repetition,  as  is  a 
plaster-cast  from  a  mould.  We  know,  however,  that  there 
are  no  two  things  in  the  Universe  perfectly  alike  ;  no  two 
worlds,  no  two  men,  no  two  events,  no  two  atoms ;  in  all  there 
is  a  difference  wide  or  narrow,  but  still  a  difference.  Besides, 
not  only  are  no  two  things  ever  alike,  but  all  things  are  for 
ever  in  a  state  of  mutation  or  of  growth.  There  is  no  routine 
in  the  Universe,  but  change,  change  everywhere.  All  is  new 
under  the  Sun;  at  no  instant  is  Xature  the  same  as  at  the 
previous  instant.  The  truth  therefore  stands,  that  for  every 
existence  there  must  have  been  a  special  design  and  a  special 
creation,  and  that  over  it  there  must  be  a  special  and  instan- 
taneous energy  and  providence.  He  who  once  lays  hold  on 
these  great  facts  will  disregard  for  ever  as  mere  metaphysic 
drivel,  all  talk  about  a  general  alternating  with  a  special  Provi- 
dence. To  speak  as  a  finite  creature,  God  is  as  much  required 
in  the  Universe  to-day  as  at  Creation ;  and  he  who  does  not 
perceive  this  as  true,  looks  at  Xature  with  eyes  which  might 
as  well  be  shut  or  blind. 

But  let  us  hear  Swedenborg  himself  on  this  matter.  He 
writes — 

1  In  Creation  nothing  lives  but  God  alone ;  nothing  moves 
L  but  by  life  from  Him ;  nothing  exists  but  by  the  Sun  from 
4  Him  :  thus  it  is  a  truth,  that  in  God  we  live,  and  move,  and  are. 

'  All  things,  and  each  of  them,  down  to  the  verv  utter- 
4  mosts  of  Xature,  exist  and  subsist  instantly  from  God.  If 


278      PROVIDENCE  UNIVERSAL  BECAUSE  PARTICULAR. 


4  the  connection  of  Anything  with  Him  were  hroken  tor  a 
1  moment  it  would  instantly  vanish ;  for  existence  is  perpetual 
4  subsistence,  and  preservation  perpetual  creation. 

4  Were  not  God  continually  present  in  the  Human  Mind, 
'  in  all  its  parts  and  at  every  moment,  it  would  be  dissolve* I 
'like  a  bubble  in  the  air;  and  both  spheres  of  the  Brain, 
1  wherein  the  Mind  exerts  its  operations,  would  melt  away 
4  like  froth,  and  leave  the  Body  a  heap  of  dust,  or  a  volatile 
4  exhalation  in  the  atmosphere. 

4  As  in  the  Lord  we  are  and  act,  His  Providence  is  over  us 
4  from  birth  to  death,  and  onwards  to  eternity.  I  know  from 
4  Heaven,  that  with  every  man,  in  every  single  instant  of  his 
'  life,  there  is  a  concurrence  of  more  particulars  of  the  Lord's 
4  care  than  can  be  comprehended  by  any  arithmetic. 

4  A  King  in  the  world  exercises  general  care  over  his 
4  Kingdom,  and  his  princes  and  officers  particular  care;  but  it 
4  is  altogether  otherwise  with  God.  God  sees  all  things,  and 
4  knows  all  things  from  eternity,  and  provides  all  things  to 
4  eternity,  and  Himself  keeps  all  things  in  order.  This  can 
4  scarcely  be  apprehended  by  any  man,  and  least  of  all  by 
4  those,  who  trust  to  their  own  prudence,  who  attribute  their 
4  successes  to  their  own  skill,  and  their  misfortunes  to  blind 
1  chance  and  the  misdeeds  of  others;  and  in  pious  and  mean- 
1  ingless  courtesy  attribute  to  God  universal  providence. 

4  The  Angels  are  the  Lord's  ministers,  and  they  unani- 
4  niously  confess,  that  all  their  work  is  done  by  the  inspiration 
'  of  will,  and  wisdom,  and  strength  from  Him. 

4  To  talk  of  the  Lord's  Providence  as  universal  and  to 
•  separate  it  from  particulars  is  like  talking  of  a  whole  in 
4  which  there  are  no  parts,  or  of  something  in  which  there  is 
4  nothing.  Consequently  it  is  most  false,  a  mere  fiction  of  the 
1  imagination,  and  downright  stupidity  to  say,  that  the  Lord's 
b  Providence  i-  universal  and  not  at  the  same  time  in  the 
4  minutest  particular*:  for  to  provide  and  rule  in  the  universal 
:  and  n.4  at  the  BtHM  turn  in  tin-  minutest  particulars  ■  not  to 


SWEDENBORG  A  SPECIAL  WORK  OF  GOD. 


279 


L  rule  at  all.  This  is  philosophically  true,  yet,  strange  to  say, 
4  philosophers,  and  even  the  more  sublime  of  them,  conceive 
4  and  think  otherwise. 

1  Supposing  moreover  that  it  was  evinced  by  a  thousand  and 
£  a  thousand  arguments  to  a  believer  in  Prudence  that  the  Divine 
1  Providence  is  universal  because  it  extends  to  the  most  minute 
4  particulars,  and  that  not  a  hair  falls  from  the  head  which  is 
1  not  foreseen  and  provided  for,  his  opinion  of  the  range  of  his 
4  own  prudence  would  remain  unaffected  except  for  the  moment; 
4  yea  if  even  the  truth  were  demonstrated  to  him  by  some  start* 
4  ling  fact  within  his  own  experience,  he  would  revert  to  his 
4  old  notion  after  a  few  hours ;  for  unless  the  Will  be  changed 
4  the  Understanding  cannot  be  permanently  influenced.'* 

Thus  very  plainly  do  we  see,  that  Swedenborg  allowed  no 
gradations  in  the  Divine  Providence. 

If  I  say  Swedenborg  was  an  extraordinary  man,  no  one 
objects ;  if  I  say  a  special  and  wonderful  work  was  done  in 
his  creation,  I  instantly  give  wide  offence ;  yet  there  is  really 
no  difference  whatever  between  the  statements.  Swedenborg 
was  an  extraordinary  man ;  God  made  him ;  therefore  an 
extraordinary  or  special  work  was  done  in  his  creation.  Who 
can  question  the  assertion  ? 

The  same  might  be  said  of  Plato,  or  Paul,  or  Shakspere, 
or  of  any  man  ;  for  in  the  meanest  there  is  a  difference,  and 
that  difference  is  a  specialty — a  faculty  for  some  piece  of 
work  in  which  its  owner  can  have  no  competitor.  God  is  the 
Love,  the  Wisdom,  and  the  Strength  alike  of  the  least  as  of 
the  greatest ;  for  as  Swedenborg  says — ■ 

L  God  is  ever  and  everyicliere  the  Same. 
4  It  appears  as  if  the  Divine        Godf]  were  not  the  same  in 

*  'Arcana  Ccdestia,'  Nos.  1,919,  2,694,  5,122,  5,894,  4,523,  6,482,  7,007, 
8,717,  10,774.  1  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,''  No.  301.  1  True  Christian 
Religion?  Nos.  30  and  224. 

f  '  It  is  said,  that  the  Divine  fills  all  spaces  of  the  Universe  and  not 


280 


GOD  IS  EVERYWHERE  THE  SAME. 


1  one  Man  as  in  another ;  that  it  [He]  is  different  in  the  Wise 
1  Man  and  in  the  Simple,  in  the  Old  Man  and  the  Infant;  but 
1  this  is  a  fallacy  from  appearance.  Man  is  different,  but  the 
4  Divine  [i,  e.,  God]  in  him  is  not  different.  Man  is  a  recipient, 
1  and  as  a  recipient  is  various.  A  Wise  Man  is  more  adequately, 
L  and  therefore  more  fully,  a  recipient  of  the  Divine  Love  and 
1  Wisdom  than  a  Simple  Man  ;  and  an  Old  Man  who  is  wise, 
L  than  an  Infant  and  a  Boy.  Nevertheless,  the  Divine  is  the 
'  same  in  the  one  as  in  the  other.  In  like  manner  it  is  a  fallacy 
1  from  appearance,  that  the  Divine  is  various  in  Angels  and 
c  Men,  because  Angels  are  in  wisdom  ineffable,  and  Men  not 
1  so.    The  variety  is  in  the  receivers,  and  not  in  the  Lord. 

1  The  Lord  is  not  in  a  greater  degree  of  love  and  wisdom 
'  with  one  than  with  another,  but  is  everywhere  the  same  : 
1  but  He  is  not  received  by  one  in  the  same  degree  as  by 
1  another,  and  hence  His  diverse  appearance.'* 

Swedenborg  therefore  advances  no  claim  of  nearness  to 
God,  which  he  does  not  concede  to  every  creature;  the  sole 
difference  between  himself  and  others  lay  in  his  open  and 
pious  recognition  of  that  universal  Divine  relationship  to 
which  the  majority  of  mankind,  drunken  with  the  Must  of  the 
1  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,'  are 
insensible.  There  is  no  reason  why  any  one  of  us  in  the 
righteous  fulfilment  of  our  duties  might  not  say — I  do  this  or 
that  under  Divine  direction ;  or,  advised  by  conscience,  say — 
God  has  told  me  so  and  so ;  or,  in  a  piece  of  well-considered 
and  unselfish  advice,  commend  it  to  the  hearer  as — God's 

•  God ;  for  if  it  were  said,  that  God-Man  fills  them,  natural  Reason  would 
'  not  assent ;  but  when  it  is  said,  that  the  Divine  fills  them,  this  is  assented 
'  to,  because  it  agrees  with  the  form  of  speech  of  theologians,  that  God  is 
'  omnipresent,  and  hears  and  knows  all  things.' — '  Divine  Love  and  Window,1 
No.  72. 

Swedenborg  has  gained  nothing  by  such  concessions  to  popular  phrase- 
ology, but  has  thereby  given  occasion  for  frequent  and  serious  misapprehension 
f.f  his  meaning. 

*  1  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,'  Nos  78,  124 


GOD  IS  NOW  AS  OF  OLD. 


281 


message  to  you  by  me.  In  this  way  says  Swedenborg  the 
men  of  the  Ancient  Church  spoke : — 

4  In  the  Ancient  Church  when  any  one  was  advertised,  or 
4  had  it  suggested  to  him  by  conscience,  or  by  any  inward 
4  dictate,  or  by  their  word,  that  a  thing  was  so,  the  form  of 
1  speech  employed  was — u  Jehovah  said."  '* 

Thus,  aided  by  himself,  do  we  interpret  Swedenborg's 
assertion  of  his  Divine  Mission.  Glad  we  are  to  have  his 
accordant  testimony ;  for  persistent  and  inflexible  must  ever  be 
our  resistance  to  any  pretence  of  private  and  exclusive  Divine 
intercourse.  Equally  near  and  dear  to  our  Father  are  all  His 
children.  4  He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on 
4  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.' 
Not  one  can  shew  a  favour  from  Him,  which  another  may  not 
have  if  he  will  only  receive.  To  no  renowned  Prophet  or 
Apostle  has  the  Lord  been  more  than  He  is  willing  to  be  to 
any  of  us  at  this  very  hour.  He  has  said,  11  Behold  I  stand  at 
u  the  door,  and  knock :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open 
u  the  door,  I  will  come  into  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
u  with  me."  It  is  vain  to  try  to  fritter  away  this  promise.  It 
stands  for  ever  as  the  sure  warrant  to  every  Christian,  that  he 
may  enjoy  his  Lord's  presence  as  veritably  and  as  utterly  as 
ever  did  Priest  or  Saint  from  Adam  in  Eden  to  John  in  Patmos. 

Swedenborg's  frequent  assertion,  that  the  Lord  had  mani- 
fested Himself  before  him  in  Person,  is  often  adduced  as  the 
final  touch  of  his  fanaticism  ;  but  when  we  ascertain  the 
terms  of  his  meaning,  much  of  its  strangeness  disappears. 

The  declaration  of  John,  that  4  No  man  hath  seen  God  at 
4  any  time,'  and  of  Jehovah  to  Moses,  4  Thou  canst  not  see  my 
4  face :  for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and  live,'t  Swedenborg 
loyally  accepts  and  abundantly  confirms.    He  says — 

4  No  one  can  see  the  Lord  as  He  is  in  Himself.    It  would 


*  '  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  1410.       f  1  Jonn  iv>  12-    Exodus  xxxiii.,  20. 


282 


THE  INFINITE  IS  UNAPPROACHABLE. 


4  be  as  if  he  should  enter  the  sun  by  the  fire  whereof  he  would 
4  be  consumed  in  a  moment. 

4  The  Divine  is  incomprehensible  even  by  the  Angels,  for 
1  there  is  no  ratio  between  the  Finite  and  the  Infinite. 

4  No  man  or  Angel  can  ever  approach  the  Father,  and 
4  immediately  worship  Him,  for  He  is  invisible,  and  being 
1  invisible  can  neither  be  thought  of  nor  loved. 

4  God  is  Infinite,  and  the  Human  Mind  cannot  discover 
4  what  is  the  quality  of  the  Infinite.  We  can  only  define  it 
4  as  the  Infinite  All,  and  that  it  subsists  in  itself,  and  is  thereby 
4  the  very  and  the  one  only  Substance ;  and  since  nothing  is 
4  predicable  of  a  substance,  unless  it  be  a  form,  that  the 
4  Infinite  is  also  the  very  and  the  one  only  Form.  Notwith- 
4  standing  these  conclusions,  the  true  quality  of  the  Infinite 
4  does  not  appear  ;  for  the  Human  Mind,  however  highly 
4  analytical  and  fitted  for  sublime  speculations  is  still  Finite,  and 
4  cannot  overcome  the  limit  of  its  being.  We  can  never 
4  therefore  comprehend  the  Infinity  of  God,  or  see  Him  as  He 
4  is  in  Himself. 

4  It  is  vain  then  to  desire  to  know  God  in  His  Esse  or  in 
4  His  Substance.  It  is  enough  to  acknowledge  Him  from 
4  things  Finite,  that  is,  from  things  created,  in  which  He 
4  infinitely  is.  The  man  who  seeks  to  know  more  of  God 
4  than  this,  may  be  compared  to  a  fish  out  of  water,  or  a  bird 
4  gasping  for  breath  under  the  receiver  of  an  air-pump.'* 

These  passages  should  satisfy  even  Metaphysicians.  Now 
comes  the  question,  If  none  can  see  God,  how  then  does 
4  Swedenborg  explain  His  manifestation  to  himself?    Thus — 

4  Though  God,  inasmuch  as  He  is  Infinite,  transcends  finite 
4  apprehension,  He  conjoins  Himself  with  Humanity  through 
4  finite  appearances.  By  the  Angels  He  is  seen  as  the  Sun  of 
4  Heaven,  the  source  of  all  their  heat  and  light.  Ever 


*  'Arcana  Cadestia,'  No.  2,531.  'Apocalypse  Explained,'  Xos.  114  and 
1,341.  4  AUianasian  Creed,'  No.  24,  and  1  True  Christian  Religion,'  No.  28. 


NONE  CAN  SEE  JEHOVAH. 


283 


i  apparent  to  their  eyes  as  a  Sun,  yet  when  they  think 
4  interiorly,  they  do  not  think  of  God  otherwise  than  in 
i  themselves.  Let  not  any  one  cherish  the  error,  that  the 
4  Lord  is  in  Heaven  among  the  Angels  as  a  king  is  in  his 
'  kingdom.  To  appearance  He  is  in  the  Sun  above  them,  but 
L  as  to  reality  He  is  in  them.'* 

Another  appearance  the  Lord  in  Heaven  assumes ;  thus — 
6  The  Lord  sometimes  presents  Himself  to  the  sight  of 
L  the  Angels  out  of  the  Sun.  In  such  a  case  he  veils  Himself 
L  by  means  of  an  Angel ;  He  possesses  the  Angel,  lays  asleep 
£  the  Angel's  selfhood,  and  inspires  him  so  perfectly  with  His 
L  Spirit,  that  the  Angel  knows  no  other  than  that  he  is  the 
L  Lord,  and  he  speaks  and  is  listened  to  by  other  Angels  accord- 
1  ingly.    When  the  Angel  has  fulfilled  his  mission  he  returns 

*  to  his  ordinary  state,  and  speaks  and  acts  from  himself. 'f 

Whilst  the  Scriptures  affirm,  that  no  man  has  seen  or  can 
see  J ehovah,  they  contain  at  the  same  time  numerous  relations 
of  His  appearance  to  Patriarchs  and  Prophets.  By  the  Divine 
possession  of  an  Angel,  Swedenborg  explains  all  these  appear- 
ances, and  reconciles  statements  apparently  contradictory.  He 
writes — 

1  The  Lord  appeared  as  a  Man  and  talked  face  to  face 
i  with  the  members  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church  (the  Adamic). 
1  In  like  manner  he  was  seen  by  Abraham,  Hagar,  Lot, 
1  Gideon,  Joshua,  the  Prophets,  and  others.    They  saw  not 

*  Jehovah,  but  Angels,  who  were  filled  with  His  presence, 
1  who  spoke  from  His  inspiration,  and  who  therefore  called 
L  themselves  Jehovah.' J 

*  '  Athanasian  Creed,'  No.  27.  'Arcana  Ccelestia,1  Nos.  7,270,  8,760. 
'  Apocalypse  Revealed,1  No.  54.  '  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,"1  No.  130,  and 
1  Divine  Providence,1  No.  31. 

f  '  Arcana  Ccelestia,1  Nos.  1,745,  1,925.  1  Apocalypse  Revealed,1  No.  938. 
'  True  Christian  Religion,1  No.  691,  'Divine  Providence1  No.  96,  and  1  Heaven 
1  and  Hell,1  Nos.  52  and  55. 

%  'Arcana  Ccelestia1  Nos.  49,  125,  1,341,  1,573,  1,894.  ' Apocalypse 
1  Revealed,1  No.  938,  and  '  Divine  Providence,1  No.  96. 


284 


HOW  GOD  MAY  BE  SEEN. 


Swedcnborg  places  his  own  experience  on  the  same  ground 
as  the  Angels  and  the  Prophets,  saying — 

4  Several  years  ago  (writing  in  1704)  the  Lord  was  re- 
4  vealed  to  me,  and  since  He  has  continually  appeared  before 
4  my  (inner)  eyes  as  the  Sun,  in  which  lie  is,  even  as  He 
4  appears  to  the  Angels. 

4  They  were  Angels  who  appeared  to  the  Prophets,  and 
4  spoke  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  This,  it  has  been  given  to 
1  me  to  know  by  much  experience  of  a  similar  kind,  at  this 
4  day,  in  the  other  life. 

4  Those  who  saw  Jehovah  as  recorded  in  the  Word  were 
4  girt  about  and  protected  from  the  overpowering  glory  of  the 
4  Divine  Presence  by  a  column  of  Spirits.  In  the  same  way 
4  the  Lord  has  oftentimes  been  seen  by  me.' " 

In  like  manner  we  shall  all  see  the  Lord,  if  at  death  we 
find  ourselves  among  the  Angels;  and  so  we  should  see  Him 
even  now  were  our  inner  eyes  opened  as  were  Swedenborg's. 
Here  also  on  Earth  Swedcnborg  teaches  us  to  see  and  hear 
the  Lord,  saying — 

4  Man  has  always  the  Lord  before  his  eyes  if  he  be  loving 
1  and  wise. 

1  The  Lord  speaks  with  every  Man ;  for  whatever  he  wills 
1  that  is  good,  or  thinks  that  is  true,  is  from  the  Lord.  There 
4  are  with  every  Man,  at  least  two  Evil  Spirits  exciting  his 
4  evils,  and  two  Angels  inspiring  him  with  goodness  and  truth. 
4  The  angelic  ministry  is  wholly  the  Lord's.  Thus  the  Lord 
4  continually  speaks  with  Man,  although  quite  diversely  with 
'  different  Men.  To  such  as  suffer  themselves  to  be  led  by 
4  Evil  Spirits,  the  Lord  speaks  as  though  He  were  absent,  or 
4  at  a  distance,  so  that  He  can  be  scarcely  said  to  speak ;  but 
4  to  such  as  are  led  by  Him,  lie  addresses  Himself  more  nearly, 
k  as  must  be  sufficiently  evident  on  reflecting,  that  no  one 


*  'Divine  Providence,1  No.  135,  'Divine  Isjre  and  Wixdfjm,1  No.  131, 
1  Arcana  CWlesiiu,'1  No.  1,925,  and  4  Ajsocalypse  Explained,'  No.  78. 


THE  DIVINE  MANIFESTATION. 


285 


1  can  possibly  think  anything  good  and  true,  except  from  the 
1  Lord. 

(  The  presence  of  the  Lord  with  Man  takes  place  when  he 
1  loves  his  neighbour ;  for  the  Lord  is  Love,  and  in  so  far  as 
1  a  Man  loves,  the  Lord  is  present  with  him  ;  and  in  the  degree 
1  in  which  the  Lord  is  present  He  speaks  with  Man,  and  the 
1  Man  partakes  of  the  Lord's  life.'* 

So  likewise  even  here,  we  may  at  times  have  seen  the  Lord 
possess  a  good  man,  as  Swedenborg  tells  us  he  has  seen  Him 
possess  an  Angel.  In  some  sacred  and  awful  hour  when 1  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,'  his  face  has  become  as  Stephen's,  as 
though  '  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  Angel ; '  we  observe  a  light 
in  his  eyes  hitherto  unseen,  a  sound  in  his  voice  hitherto 
unheard,  a  passion  and  an  unction  in  his  eloquence  heretofore 
unknown.  \Vhen  the  afflatus  has  departed  he  feels  that  he 
has  been  other  than  himself,  that  a  glory  not  his  own  has  been 
round  his  brows,  and  that  words  such  as  he  never  conceived 
have  been  gliding  over  his  lips.  After  such  an  experience, 
reverently,  may  we  not  say  ? — We  have  seen  and  heard  the 
Lord  in  His  servant. 

Lastly  we  come  to  Swedenborg's  statement,  that  through 
his  writings  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  made  His  second  advent 
for  the  institution  of  the  New  Church  signified  by  the  New 
Jerusalem  in  the  Eevelation :  of  it,  we  shall  be  much  better 
qualified  to  speak  at  the  end  of  this  book  when  we  shall  have 
reviewed  those  works  concerning  which  he  advances  this 
momentous  claim.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Brockmer 
reported,  that  Swedenborg  had  said  to  him,  'that  he  was 
1  Messiah,  and  that  he  was  come  to  be  crucified  for  the  Jews,' 
and,  that  when  he  afterwards  met  him,  1  he  would  never  leave 
1  the  tenet,  that  he  was  Messiah.'    No  assertion  that  he  was 


*  '  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,1  No.  137.  '  Arcana  Ccelestia,1  Nos.  904 
and  2,253. 


286 


THE  LORD  IS  ALWAYS  COMING. 


Messiah  can  wc  find  in  any  of  his  writings  ;  it  may  be  that  lie 
left  off  the  use  of  that  title  when  he  emerged  from  the 
phantastic  state  described  in  the  Diary  of  Dreams,  although 
his  statement,  4  that,  since  the  Lord  cannot  manifest  Himself 
4  in  person,  it  follows,  that  He  will  effect  His  promise  by  the 
'  instrumentality  of  a  Man,'  may  fairly  be  held  as  its  equivalent, 
when  we  consider,  that  Swedenborg  maintained  that  he  was 
that  instrument. 

For  ourselves  we  are  very  tolerant  of  such  pretensions, 
with  the  proviso,  that  they  are  in  no  sense  final  or  exclusive. 
Dr.  Channing  in  an  oration  delivered  about  1842,  accurately 
expresses  what  we  would  say  at  this  time  on  the  present 
subject — 

i  There  are  some  among  us  who  are  looking  for  the  speedy 
4  coming  of  Christ.  They  expect  before  another  year  closes 
4  to  see  Him  in  the  clouds,  to  hear  His  voice,  to  stand  before 
4  His  judgement-seat.  These  illusions  spring  from  misinter- 
4  pretation  of  Scripture  language.  Christ  in  the  New  Testa- 
4  ment  is  said  to  come  whenever  His  religion  breaks  out  in 
4  new  glory,  or  gains  new  triumphs.  He  came  in  the  Holy 
4  Spirit  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost.  He  came  in  the  destruction 
4  of  Jerusalem,  which  by  subverting  the  old  ritual  law  and 
4  breaking  the  power  of  the  worst  enemies  of  His  religion, 
4  ensured  to  Him  new  victories.  He  came  in  the  Reformation 
4  and  in  Protestantism.  He  came  on  this  day  tour  years  ago, 
4  when  through  His  religion  800,000  men  were  raised  from 
4  the  lowest  degradation  to  the  rights,  and  dignity,  and 
'  fellowship  of  men.  Christ's  outward  appearance  is  of  little 
4  moment  compared  with  the  brighter  manifestation  of  His 
1  Spirit.  The  Christian,  whose  inward  eyes  and  ears  are 
4  touched  by  God,  discerns  the  coming  of  Christ,  hears  the 
4  sound  of  His  chariot  wheels  and  the  voice  of  His  trumpet 
4  when  no  other  perceives  them.  He  decerns  the  Saviour's 
4  advent  in  the  dawning  of  higher  truth  in  the  world,  in  new 
4  aspirations  of  the  Clmreh  after  perfection,  in  the  prostration 


CHRIST'S  ADVENT  PERPETUAL. 


287 


1  of  prejudice  and  error,  in  brighter  expressions  of  Christian 
c  love,  in  more  enlightened  and  intense  consecration  of  the 
4  Christian  to  the  cause  of  humanity,  freedom  and  religion. 
c  Christ  comes  in  the  conversion,  the  regeneration,  the  eman- 
'  cipation  of  the  world.'* 

This  dissertation  may  have  exceeded  due  bounds  and 
the  reader's  patience,  but  I  think  it  will  simplify  and  quicken 
the  ensuing  narrative  by  enabling  us  to  dispense  with  many 
explanations.  Henceforth,  without  apology,  we  shall  write  of 
Swedenborg's  intercourse  with  the  Spiritual  World  just  as 
though  we  were  speaking  of  his  travels  in  Italy,  France,  or 
Germany. 


*  An  Address  delivered  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  on  the  1st  of  August, 
1842;  the  anniversary  of  Negro  Emancipation  in  the  British  West  Indies. 


(    288  ) 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


There  arc  no  signs  in  Swedenborg's  i  Adversaria1  of  the 
continuance  of  the  incoherent  moods  displayed  in  his  4  Diary 
4  of  Dreams.'  In  one  place  he  writes  very  affectingly  of  his 
temptations — 

4  The  Children  of  Israel  underwent  temptations,  but  they 
4  all  yielded.  It  is  God  Messiah,  Who  alone  sustains  Man  and 
4  conquers  for  him  in  temptation,  as  I  have  manifestly  ex- 

4  perienced  I  was  clearly  permitted  to  see  that  of 

4  myself  I  should  yield,  and  that  no  Man  can  withstand  the 
4  least  temptation  except  by  God  Messiah's  aid  

4  Concerning  the  attempts  of  the  Devil  or  Evil  Sjjirits. 

4  I  can  attest  that  they  are  so  dreadful  and  horrible  as  to 
4  be  indescribable.  The  Devil's  most  deceitful  machinations 
4  are  unutterable,  yea  inconceivable ;  for  there  is  nothing  bad 
1  in  Man,  which  he  does  not  stir  up  to  work  mischief.  "YYhere- 
4  fore  unless  Man  were  mercifully  protected  by  the  Lord  every 
4  moment  of  his  life,  he  would  plunge  headlong  into  damnation. 
4  These  direful  attempts  of  Evil  Spirits,  which  I  have  often 
4  experienced,  are  rather  to  be  consigned  to  oblivion  than 
4  published.  By  them  I  have  learnt,  that  unless  the  Lord  had 
4  been  essentially  present,  I  could  not  have  held  out  a  single 
4  moment,  but  must  inevitably  have  gone  to  perdition.'* 


*  '  A'her.^irin,'  Xos.  7."><»s-0  ami  7.,V2'.' 


CHRISTIAN  VI.  OF  DENMARK. 


280 


In  the  Autumn  of  1747,  Swedenborg  sailed  from  Gotten- 
burg  for  London.  In  the  course  of  the  voyage  his  ship 
stopped  at  Oresound,  and  the  Swedish  Consul  there,  M. 
Kryger,  asked  him  to  dinner,  along  with  some  of  the  chief 
people  of  the  town.  When  all  were  seated  at  table  the  Consul 
broke  silence  by  asking  Swedenborg  whether  he  had  seen 
Christian  VI.,  of  Denmark,  who  had  died  last  year,  1746.  He 
answered,  that  he  had,  and  that  when  he  saw  him  for  the  first 
time,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  certain  Bishop,  who  humbly 
begged  his  pardon  for  the  many  errors  into  which  he  had  led 
him  by  his  counsels.  A  son  of  the  Bishop's  was  at  the  table, 
and  the  Consul  fearing  that  something  yet  more  awkward  might 
be  said,  interrupted  him  saying,  11  Sir,  this  gentleman  is  the 
"  Bishop's  son."  u  It  may  be,"  replied  Swedenborg,  "  but 
u  what  I  have  told  you,  is  true."* 

In  London  he  commenced  a  1  Spiritual  Diary  f  which,  with 
more  or  less  assiduity,  he  kept  for  seventeen  years ;  its  final 
date  is  3rd  December,  1764.  Into  this  spiritual  day-book 
written  in  large  oblong  folios  such  as  are  used  in  counting- 
houses,  he  entered  what  thoughts  and  what  visions  he  cared  to 
preserve,  numbering,  and  sometimes  dating,  the  paragraphs. 
Passages  he  occasionally  transferred  to  his  published  works, 
and  these  he  drew  his  pen  across,  just  as  some  shopkeepers  do 
the  entries  in  their  journals  as  they  post  them  into  the  ledger,  t 

Diaries  are  not  books  to  be  read  through:  they  are  in 
their  nature  fragmentary  ;  and  the  mind  requires  continuity  of 
event  or  argument  in  order  to  be  continuously  interested.  It 
is  pleasant  to  open  and  dip  into  i  Pepys's  Diary]  but  to  com- 


*  Related  by  General  Tuxen,  Danish  Commissioner  of  War  at  Elsinore. 
We  owe  several  anecdotes  of  Swedenborg  to  Tuxen,  and  shall  encounter  him 
in  our  narrative  in  due  course. 

t  Dr.  Tafel,  of  Tubingen,  edited  and  printed  the  lDiarium  Spiritaale' 
from  Swedenborg's  manuscripts,  in  twelve  volumes,  some  thick  and  some 
thin,  between  1844  and  1859.  A  list  of  the  volumes  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix. 

U 


290 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


mencc  at  the  beginning  of  one  of  the  volumes  and  read  to  the 
end  would  be  as  wearisome  as  the  other  mode  is  agreeable. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  1  Spiritual  Diary  J  but  with  additional 
force  from  the  fact,  that  the  pieces  in  it  possessing  any  living 
interest  are  commonly  sundered  by  wide  tracts  of  wordy  barren- 
ness, which  it  is  hardly  possible  for  even  the  dullest  reader  to 
drudge  through  sentence  after  sentence  without  skipping.  The 
1 Diary]  moreover,  is  a  gloomy  register  ;  its  themes  are  mainly 
unhappy,  being  descriptive  of  interviews  with  wretched  souls, 
afflicted  with  monstrous  delusions  and  terrible  sufferings.  On  its 
pages  we  shall  make  frequent  drafts,  and  our  present  chapter 
we  shall  complete  with  a  variety  of  extracts  pertaining  to  the 
period  we  have  now  reached — London,  1747-49.  We  may 
premise,  that  the  references  of  the  1  Diary'1  to  the  Outer  World 
are  few  and  far  between.  The  persons  and  scenery  to  which  it 
relates  belong  almost  entirely  to  the  World  of  Spirits,  1  a 
'place  or  state  between  Heaven  and  Hell,  into  which  Man 
1  enters  immediately  after  death  ;  and  after  a  certain  time,  the 
1  duration  of  which  is  determined  by  the  quality  of  his  life  on 
1  Earth,  he  is  either  elevated  into  Heaven  or  cast  into  Hell.' 

How  Spirits  tormented  our  Author. 

'  Sept.  1747.  —  From  experience  I  have  learnt,  that  Evil 
'  Spirits  cannot  desist  from  tormenting.  By  their  presence 
1  they  have  inflicted  pains  upon  different  parts  of  my  body  ; 
'as  upon  my  feet,  so  that  I  could  scarcely  walk;  upon  the 
1  dorsal  nerves,  so  that  I  could  scarcely  stand ;  and  upon  parts 
1  of  my  head  with  such  pertinacity,  that  the  pains  lasted  for 
1  some  hours.  I  was  clearly  instructed,  that  such  sufferings 
4  are  inflicted  upon  Man  by  Evil  Spirits.' 

The  Punishment  of  a  W  itch. 

1  3  Nov.  1747. — It  seemed  to  me  in  a  sleep,  that  a  Witch 
1  had  used  her  craft  to  take  away  true  love,  and  thus  to  render 
4  a  man  weak.     When  \  aw  < ike  she  appeared,  and  was  recog- 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


291 


1  nized  as  a  Witch,  and  was  delivered  over  to  a  punishment, 
i  frightful  beyond  my  conception.  I  was  told,  that  her  punish- 
1  ment  was  the  result  of  an  inquest  of  Angels  into  her  atrocities. 
4  She  appeared  to  dissolve  into  hideous  snakes  and  serpents, 
'  which  glided  away  from  the  presence  of  the  Spirits.' 

Worldly  Cares  shut  up  Heaven. 

4  5  Dec.  1747. — When  I  have  been  walking  about  in  the 
4  Heavens,  and  allowed  my  thoughts  to  lapse  into  worldly 
'  anxiety  Heaven  instantly  disappeared. 

4  4  March,  1748. — I  have  now  been  nearly  three  years,  or 
4  thirty-three  months  with  my  mind  withdrawn  from  corporeal 
1  things,  and  in  society  with  spiritual  and  celestial  Spirits  as  a 
4  man  with  men,  at  which  the  Spirits  wonder.  When,  how- 
4  ever,  I  am  intensely  absorbed  in  worldly  things — as  when, 
4  concerned  about  necessary  expenses,  I  to-day  wrote  a  letter, 
4  the  Spirits  could  not  speak  with  me  ;  they  were  as  if  absent 
4  from  me.  This  has  happened  before.  Hence  I  know,  that 
4  Spirits  cannot  converse  with  a  Man  who  is  much  devoted  to 
4  worldly  and  corporeal  cares.  Such  cares  draw  the  Mind  down 
4  and  immerse  it  in  Nature. 

!  21  Oct.  1748. — As  often  as  I  have  thought  of  my  garden, 
4  of  him  who  had  care  of  it,  of  my  being  called  home,  of  money 
4  matters,  of  the  state  of  mind  of  my  friends,  of  the  character 
4  of  those  in  my  house,  of  the  things  I  am  to  write,  and  espe- 
4  cially  how  my  work  will  be  received  by  the  world,  and  the 
4  probability  that  it  will  not  be  understood,  of  new  clothes  to 
4  be  purchased,  and  various  matters  of  a  similar  kind,  and  I 
4  have  been  held  in  these  cares  for  some  time,  Evil  Spirits 
4  throw  in  troublesome,  inconvenient  and  unhappy  suggestions, 
£  and  aggravate  and  confirm  my  anxiety. 

4  Hence  arises  the  melancholy  of  many  people  ;  debilitated 
4  minds,  deliriums,  insanities,  phantasies. 

4  Therefore  the  Lord,  to  save  us  from  useless  cares  and 
4  insanity  commands,  that  we  take  no  care  for  the  morrow.' 

u  2 


292 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


Mi§cr§  awl  Mice* 

1  24  Dec.,  1747. — Those,  who  love  money  as  an  end,  dwell 
*  in  cells  and  hide  their  treasure  therein.  These  cells  are  in- 
4  fcsted  with  large  mice,  big  as  mountain  rats,  which  teaae  them 
L  until  they  are  cured  of  their  Inst.7 

Book  Worms, 

1  Some  love  reading  and  cram  their  memories  for  the  sake 
4  of  a  learned  reputation.  When  they  become  Spirits  they 
'  dwell  in  subterranean  places,  where  they  study  by  the  light 
(  of  candles,  which  are  frequently  snuffed  out.  They  are  also 
1  infested  with  mice  and  other  vermin  until  they  desist  from 
<  their  folly.' 

Beggars  after  Death. 

1  30  Dec.  1747. — They  who  have  been  long  accustomed  to 
4  begging,  and  at  length  have  acquired  pleasure  therein,  so  as 
4  to  contract  dislike  to  a  life  of  useful  labour,  appear  naked,  or 
4  only  covered  with  filthy  rags,  so  botched  together  as  scarcely 
4  to  hide  their  skin.  They  beg  alms  of  everybody  they  meet, 
4  employing  one  with  a  small  dish  to  receive  it.  I  heard  from 
4  them,  that  it  is  true  what  is  said  of  beggars,  that  they  desire 
'nothing  but  money,  despising  garments  and  food;  that  they 
4  live  impiously  among  themselves — in  quarrels,  abhorring 
4  work,  and  sometimes  surfeiting  in  every  luxury.  They  have 
4  a  kind  of  government  among  themselves,  which  they  desire 
1  to  be  kept  secret.' 

Directed  by  "n  Angel. 

4  5  Jan.,  1748. — I  have  experienced  when  writing  to-day, 
1  that  an  Angel  directed  those  things  which  I  wrote  j  and 
1  indeed  in  such  a  way,  that  I  could  thence  perceive,  that 
4  there  is  not  even  the  lightest  thing,  which  is  not  under  the 
'  auspices  of  God  Mcs>iah.' 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


293 


A  Conspiracy  to  suffocate  our  Author. 

4  8  Jan.,  1748. — When  I  was  about  to  go  to  sleep,  it  was 
1  stated,  that  certain  Spirits  were  conspiring  to  kill  me ;  but 
4  because  I  was  secure,  I  feared  nothing  and  fell  asleep.  About 
4  the  middle  of  the  night  I  awoke,  and  felt  that  I  did  not 
4  breathe  from  myself,  but,  as  I  believed,  from  Heaven.  It 
4  was  then  plainly  told  me,  that  whole  hosts  of  Spirits  had 
4  conspired  to  suffocate  me,  and  as  soon  as  they  made  the 
4  attempt,  a  heavenly  respiration  was  opened  in  me  and  they 
4  were  defeated.' 

Tempted  to  Steal. 

4  11  Jan. j  1748. — I  observed  that  certain  Spirits  often 
4  wished  to  excite  me  to  steal  things  of  small  value,  such  as 
4  are  met  with  in  shops ;  and  so  great  was  their  desire,  that 
4  they  actually  moved  my  hand. 

4  6  Feb. — I  ascertained  that  in  the  world  these  Spirits  had 
4  been  tradespeople,  who  by  various  artifices  defrauded  their 
4  customers,  and  thought  it  allowable.  Some  had  been  cele- 
4  brated  merchants,  at  which  I  wondered.  They  wander 
4  about  searching  for  things  to  steal,  and  wherever  detected 
4  are  punished  with  stripes  and  blows. 

4  When  they  were  with  me,  as  soon  as  I  saw  any  thing  in 
4  shops,  or  any  pieces  of  money,  or  the  like,  their  cupidity 
4  became  manifest  to  me ;  for  thinking  themselves  to  be  me, 
4  they  urged,  that  I  should  stretch  forth  my  hand  to  steal, 
4  quite  contrary  to  my  usual  state  and  custom. ' 

Sow  Spirits  might  possess  Man. 

4  26  Jan.,  1748. — Spirits,  if  permitted,  could  possess  those 
4  who  speak  with  them  so  utterly,  that  they  would  be  as  though 
1  they  were  entirely  in  the  world ;  and  indeed  in  a  manner  so 
4  manifest,  that  they  could  communicate  their  thoughts  by 
4  words  through  their  medium,  and  even  by  letters ;  for  they 
1  have  sometimes,  and  indeed  often,  directed  my  hand  when 


294 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


4  writing,  as  though  it  were  quite  their  own  ;  so  that  they 
1  thought  it  was  not  I,  but  themselves  who  were  writing.1 

The  Punishment  of  Luxurious  Women — of  Parvenus. 

1  28  Jan. j  1748. — The  punishment  is  dreadful  of  women 
'  who  have  become  rich,  and  have  suffered  themselves  to  be 
4  served  as  queens  by  a  retinue  of  servants  ;  who  have  had  no 
'  concern  to  be  of  any  use,  but  only  to  gratify  their  love  of 
'  luxury  and  ease,  lolling  on  sofas,  decking  themselves  out 
1  with  dress  and  jewels,  and  presiding  at  entertainments. 
4  When  they  enter  the  other  life  they  associate  with  their 
1  like,  and  for  a  while,  things  go  on  as  in  the  world ;  but  they 
4  soon  begin  to  strike  and  scratch  and  drag  each  other  about 
4  by  the  hair  of  the  head  in  a  manner  so  frightful,  that  one 
4  cannot  endure  the  sight.  They  are  also  hung  up  like 
1  stripped  carcases  of  swine  with  their  feet  cut  off,  and  their 
'  bodies  lacerated  in  a  thousand  places  one  after  another, — 
4  yea,  the  blood  flows  in  such  profusion,  that  I  was  filled  with 
k  horror,  and  the  Spirits  around  me,  being  terrified,  wanted  to 
1  flee  away.    Nevertheless  such  is  their  fate. 

4  After  I  had  seen  the  cruel  punishment  such  women 
4  undergo,  I  was  twice  instructed,  that  they  were  not  born 
i  to  wealth,  as  is  the  case  with  queens,  who  know  and  are 
4  accustomed  to  nothing  else ;  but  that  by  success  they  had 
4  risen  from  poverty  to  riches,  and  had  abandoned  themselves 
4  to  voluptuous  pleasures.' 

Worthless  Metaphysics. 

4  30  Jan. j  1748. — To-day,  when  coming  home,  I  was  sad. 
4  I  knew  my  sadness  arose  from  a  troubled  Spirit,  who  told 
4  me,  that  in  his  lifetime  he  had  reckoned  himself  as  amongst 
4  the  most  famous  of  men,  and  had  devoted  himself  to  meta- 
'  physical  studies.  Discovering  how  worthless  were  Mcta- 
1  physics,  how  they  were  mere  phantasies,  which  had  hid  from 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


295 


1  his  eyes  the  light  of  divine  and  spiritual  truth,  he  called 
1  them  filth,  and  was  full  of  sorrow. 

1  This  Spirit  is  now  with  me,  sees  me  writing-,  and  directs  me. 

1  18  Feb.,  1748. — Philosophical  studies  for  some  thousands 
'  of  years  have  consisted  solely  in  terras  and  syllogisms,  dis- 
1  cussions  as  to  what  are  Accidents,  what  is  Form,  what  are 

*  Modes,  and  the  like.  These  disputes,  as  they  consist  only  in 
'  words,  ruin  the  Mind  :  those  who  indulge  in  them  are  like 
4  men  who  learn  a  language,  not  for  the  sake  of  expressing 
'  ideas,  but  only  for  talking.  Such  studies,  as  they  concentrate 
'  the  intellect  on  things  without  life,  thoroughly  darken  and 
1  stupify  those  who  are  given  up  to  them,  so  that  in  true 
1  intelligence  they  are  far  beneath  rustics  and  the  lowest  of 
'  the  common  people.' 

Very  frequent  in  the  1  Diary  are  similar  remarks  on  the 
Metaphysics.  Swedenborg  knew  of  what  he  spoke,  for,  Had 
he  not  been  delivered  from  Wolf  and  his  dreary  crew"?  In 
his  (  Adversaria  on  Isaiah '  occurs  this  pithy  summary  of  his 
opinion — 

'  The  more  any  one  is  imbued  with  Philosophy,  the  greater 
1  his  blindness  and  darkness ;  the  blindness  increases  with  the 
'  quantity  of  the  Philosophy,  as  might  be  proved  by  many 
'  examples.' 

Friends  and  Acquaintance. 

1  1  Feb.,  1748. — I  have  seen  many  of  my  friends  and 
4  acquaintance  in  the  other  life.  Some  are  with  me  almost 
1  continually.  One  friend  was  with  me  for  more  than  a  month. 
1  All  wonder  that  the  world  does  not  know  that  men  live 
1  immediately  after  death,  and  that  there  is  so  little  difference 
1  between  the  life  of  the  Spirit  and  the  life  of  the  Body,  that 
1  they  can  hardly  realize  that  a  change  has  been  made. 

1  14  March. — I  have  conversed  with  about  thirty  people 

*  intimately  known  to  me  during  their  life  on  earth,  and  with 
4  about  thirty  mentioned  in  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 


296 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY* 


'  18  March. —  L  have  computed  the  number  of  those  known 
L  to  me  in  the  life  of  the  body,  with  whom  I  have  conversed. 
4  They  exceed  thirty,  at  least ;  for  I  could  not  remember  all. 
c  With  some  I  have  conversed  for  days,  with  others  for  weeks, 
L  and  with  two  for  about  two  months.  I  talked  with  them 
1  concerning  their  family  affairs,  and  very  many  other  subjects, 
4  just  as  one  man  does  with  another,  and  also  about  transae- 
1  tions  since  their  death,  and  upon  a  variety  of  other  topics.' 

1  24  Sept. — I  can  now  augment  the  number  to  sixty.' 

Spirits  change  Flavours,  or  A ffect  the  Taste. 

1  Feb.,  1748. — It  has  sometimes,  yea  rather  often  hap- 
4  pened,  that  what  has  tasted  well  has  been  changed  in  my 

I  mouth  to  what  is  nasty,  or  to  another  taste.  Twice,  if  I 
4  mistake  not,  sugar  tasted  almost  like  salt.  A  liquor  I  drank 
'  had  infused  into  it  a  salty  taste  expressed  by  the  Spirits  from 

i  the  juices  of  the  body  The  taste  of  Man  is  thus 

L  changed  according  to  the  phantasies  of  Spirits. 

4  3  and  4  March. — Spiritual  Angels  dislike  butter,  which 
L  was  made  clear  to  me  from  this  circumstance — that  although 

I I  am  fond  of  butter,  I  did  not  for  a  long  while,  even  for 
i  some  months  desire  any,  during  which  time  I  was  in  associa- 
i  tion  with  them  j  and  when  I  tasted  butter,  I  found  it  had  lost 
'  the  pleasant  flavour  it  once  had  to  me. 

4  That  the  Spiritual  Angels  caused  this  aversion  was  plain, 
4  from  the  fact,  that  when  a  Celestial"  Angel  was  with  me, 
1  and  1  was  impelled  to  eat  some  good  butter,  the  Spiritual 
4  Angels  caused  an  odour  of  butter  to  rise  from  my  mouth  to 
4  my  nostrils,  by  way  of  reproach. 

4  Still  however  they  are  much  delighted  with  milk,  and 
4  when  I  partook  of  some,  the  relish  was  more  grateful  than  I 


*  Swedenborg  divides  all  Angels  into  two  orders — Celestial  and  Spiritual ; 
the  Celestial  Angels  are  the  Angels  of  Love,  or  of  the  Will :  the  Spiritual 
Angels  are  the  Angels  of  Truth,  or  of  the  Intellect. 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


297 


4  can  describe.  Milk  belongs  to  the  Spiritual  as  butter  does  to 
4  the  Celestial  Angels ; — not  that  they  delight  therein  as  food, 
1  but  on  account  of  their  correspondence/ 

This,  and  much  else  of  similar  import  in  the  c  Diary  J  may 
to  some  appear  ineffably  absurd.  Let  me  assure  such,  that 
their  contempt  is  merely  a  sign  of  their  ig-norance — something 
like  the  guffaw  of  a  boor  who  sees  a  naturalist  dredging  a 
duck-pond  for  specimens.  One  of  the  first  postulates  of 
Swedenborg's  spiritual  system  is  the  connection  of  Spirit  with 
Matter.  He  holds  that  the  World  of  Spirit  is  the  Soul  of  the 
World  of  Matter;  that  there  is  nothing  seen  which  has  not 
its  life  and  cause  in  the  unseen — butter  and  milk  included ;  in 
a  word,  that  there  is  nothing  in  Xature,  which  has  not  its 
analogue  in  the  universal  Human  Mind.  The  individual 
Mind,  he  goes  on  to  teach,  finds  its  comfort  and  satisfaction 
in  being  surrounded  with  such  visible  things  as  are  in  corres- 
pondence or  hannony  with  its  special  and  peculiar  character. 
Thus  a  good  man  finds  his  home  in  the  order  and  beauty  of 
Heaven,  and  a  bad  man  in  the  disorder  and  ugliness  of  Hell. 
Thus  the  Spirits  who  were  with  Swedenborg  desired  to  assi- 
milate everything  about  him,  all  that  he  did  and  ate  and 
drank  into  correspondence  with  their  own  likings.  Hence  the 
difference  over  the  butter  and  the  milk.  The  mystery  of  our 
own  varying  likes  and  dislikes  to  men  and  things  is  accoimted 
for  in  the  same  way — by  our  varying  associations  with  good 
and  evil  Spirits  of  different  genius.  Perhaps  this  explanation 
may  not  be  intelligible,  but  ere  we  end  this  work  we  shall  have 
many  occasions  to  illustrate  this  doctrine  of  the  affinity  between 
the  inner  things  of  the  Mind  and  the  outer  things  of  the  Body 
and  the  World.  Until  the  doctrine  is  understood  nothing  can 
be  rightly  known  of  Swedenborg's  later  teaching. 

We  have  here  another  instance  of  the  same  order — 

White  Vestments. 
k  14  March,  1748. — There  are  amongst  Spirits  many  who 


298 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


4  love  white  vestments,  and,  indeed  so  passionately,  that  they 
4  incited  me  during  several  weeks  to  buy  such  vestments/ 

What  comes  over  tlie  DeviVs  hack  is  sure  to  go  under 
his  belly. 

4  7  March,  1748. — Evident  as  it  is  from  common  cx- 
1  pcrience,  so  much  so,  that  it  has  passed  into  a  proverb, 
4  4  Male  parta  ad  tertium  ho3redem  non  veniont,'*  nevertheless 
1  many  are  so  faithless  and  so  blind  as  to  have  no  care  as  to  the 
4  means  whereby  they  get  money.  It  has  however  been  to-day 
4  confirmed  to  me  by  Angels,  that  riches,  wrongly  acquired, 
4  pass  away,  take  unto  themselves  wings  and  vanish,  the 
4  holders  scarce  know  how.' 

The  Punishment  of  Circumrotation. 

1  18  March,  1748. — Some  Spirits  are  punished  by  being 
4  whirled  round  like  a  wheel,  for  a  long  time  and  very  swiftly, 
4  after  which  they  appear  like  garments  with  no  body  in  them. 

4  Such  is  the  punishment  of  those  who  do  not  speak  as 
4  they  think,  but  devise  artful  speeches  in  which  the  words  are 
4  literally  true,  but  are  intended  to  deceive.  When  these  at 
4  death  come  into  the  World  of  Spirits  and  discover,  that  all 
4  there  must  speak  as  they  feel,  and  that  every  one  has  a  quick 
4  perception  of  what  is  in  his  neighbour's  innermost  mind,  they 
4  endeavour  to  excuse  the  habit  of  their  life,  and  to  keep  in 
4  good  society,  by  saying,  that  their  sentences  are  verbally 
4  true.  Thus  they  hope  to  continue  the  artifices  they  delighted 
1  in,  and  fancy  their  cunning  may  remain  hid.  In  this  they 
4  are  woefully  disappointed.  They  are  whirled  about  as 
4  described,  and  appear  as  mere  bodiless  raiment  waving  in 
4  the  wind.' 


*  The  Scottish  proverb,  1  Ill-won  gear  winna  enrich  the  third  heir, 1 
answers  to  the  Latin.  '  Ill-gotten  goods  seldom  prosper,'  and  '  Evil-gotten, 
'evil  spent,'  repeat  the  truth. 


SPIRITUAL  DIAKY. 


299 


It  is  sometimes  a  puzzle  to  the  honest,  why  the  wicked 
should  be  pious ;  that  brigands  should  be  sedulous  in  their 
devotions,  that  fraudulent  bankers  should  be  faithful  to  Exeter 
Hall,  and  that  unquestionable  sanctimony  should  characterize 
creatures  otherwise  lascivious,  deceitful  and  venomous.  It  is 
often  hastily  concluded  that  such  piety  is  insincere,  but  there 
is  no  fair  reason  to  think  so.  Phrenology  clearly  shews,  that 
the  faculty  of  veneration  may  co-exist  with  the  most  depraved 
moral  organization.  The  following  is  an  illustration  from 
Swedenborg's  experience — 

The  Revengeful  can  Pray  devoutly. 

L 18  March ,  1748. — Whilst  praying  certain  Spirits  are  some- 
4  times  allowed  to  pray  with  me.  Whilst  thus  engaged,  I  have 
4  seen  Spirits,  who  burned  for  revenge,  praying  with  earnest- 
4  ness  and  devotion,  as  if  from  good  faith ;  nor  could  I  perceive 
4  that  there  was  anything  of  simulation  therein,  at  which  I 
4  wondered.' 

Kings  and  Magnates  treated  as  Common  People. 

4  18  March,  1748. — When  Souls  come  into  the  Heaven  of 
4  Spirits  there  is  no  distinction  made  as  to  Kings  and  Mag- 
4  nates ;  there  is  no  respect  of  persons.  I  have  known  some 
4  great  people,  with  whom  I  have  had  some  talk,  treated  by 
4  Spirits  as  though  they  had  been  of  the  lowest  class ;  so  that 
4  at  length  they  confessed,  that  to  have  been  powerful,  noble 
4  and  learned  on  Earth  profited  nothing  in  the  Spirit  World.' 

About  the  time  this  was  written,  there  was  a  lady  of  rank, 
who,  hearing  of  Methodism,  and  affecting  the  fashionable  un- 
belief of  the  time,  said,  that  Christianity  was  manifestly  a 
delusion,  inasmuch  as  it  prescribed  one  mode  of  salvation  for 
gentle  and  for  vulgar  blood.  It  might  have  done  her  good 
had  she  known  the  way  to  Swedenborg's  lodgings,  and  heard 
him  repeat  some  of  the  experiences  of  which  the  above  is  a 
trifling  fraction. 


300 


.SPIRITUAL  1)1  AlvV. 


Spirits  claiming  our  Author1*  Work. 

4  19  March,  1748. — When  I  had  been  writing  certain 
1  things,  a  Spirit  who  was  near  me,  on  the  left,  thanked  me 
4  when  I  had  finished  for  having  assisted  him.  I  was  .aware 
'he  thought  himself  to  be  myself,  as  is  usually  the  case.  lie 
4  departed  and  told  others,  what  he  had  written,  but  said  he 
4  was  not  sure  whether  he  ought  to  consider,  that  he  had 

4  copied  it  by  means  of  his  own  hand  Such  are  the 

4  co-operations  of  Spirits  with  Man.' 

Spirits  relate  tilings  icholbj  false,  and  lie. 

1  20  March,  1748. — When  [deceitful]  Spirits  begin  to  speak 
4  with  Man,  care  should  be  taken  not  to  believe  them,  for 
c  almost  everything  they  say  is  made  up  by  them,  and  they  lie. 
1  If  it  were  permitted  them  to  relate  what  Heaven  is,  and  how 
1  tilings  are  in  Heaven,  they  would  tell  so  many  falsehoods, 
4  and  with  such  strong  assertion,  that  Man  would  be  astonished. 
4  Wherefore  I  was  not  allowed,  when  such  Spirits  were  speaking, 
4  to  believe  anything  they  said.  They  love  to  feign.  What- 
4  ever  may  be  the  topic  discussed,  they  think  they  know  all 
4  about  it,  they  form  different  opinions  concerning  it,  and 
4  conduct  themselves  altogether  as  if  they  were  perfectly 
4  informed ;  and  if  a  Man  listens  and  believes,  they  insist,  and 
4  in  various  ways  deceive  and  seduce  him.' 

Hebrew  Scholars. 

4  13  Mag,  1748. — Certain  Spirits  were  with  me,  who  in  the 
4  life  of  the  body  had  given  much  time  and  labour,  not  to  the 
4  sense  of  words,  but  to  words  themselves,  and  to  the  art  of 
4  criticism ;  some  also  had  laboured  in  translating  the  Sacred 
4  Scriptures.  Whilst  they  were  present,  I  declare,  that  all 
1  things  whatsoever,  written  or  thought,  were  rendered  so 
4  obscure  and  confused,  that  I  could  scarcely  understand  any- 
4  thing ;  yea,  my  understanding  was  kept,  as  it  were  in  a 
1  prison,  beeause  they  directed  all  thought  to  words,  abstract- 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


301 


4  ing  the  mind  from  their  sense,  so  that  they  wearied  me 
4  exceedingly,  even  to  indignation.  Moreover  they  imagined 
4  themselves  wiser  than  others,  when  in  fact,  in  true  intelli- 
4  gence,  they  are  inferior  to  rustics  and  children. 

4  22  May,  1748. —  It  was  frequently  shewn  me,  that  critics, 
4  Hebrew  scholars,  compilers  of  lexicons,  and  translators  of 
4  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  have  comprehended  less  than  the 
4  unlettered  ;  for  the  study  of  words  tends  to  divert  the  mind 
4  from  their  meaning.  They  get  into  their  head  some  notion  of 
4  a  word  and  its  letters,  and  to  that  notion  they  sacrifice  the 
i  spirit  of  the  sentence.  This  has  been  demonstrated  to  me  by 
4  a  lively  experience.' 

Martyrs. 

4 17  Sept,  1748. — I  conversed  with  Spirits  about  Martyrs, 
1  because  some  have  maintained,  that  those  who  have  worn 
4  the  crown  of  martyrdom  will  bear  rule  in  Heaven. 

4  They  who  attribute  merit  to  themselves,  and  desire  to 
4  rule  in  Heaven,  are  not  true  Martyrs,  because  such  a  desire 
4  is  neither  heavenly,  nor  characteristic  of  true  faith. 

4  Moreover  there  are  many  kinds  of  Martyrs,  as  Quakers 
4  and  others.  Indeed  every  heresy  can  boast  of  its  Martyrs; 
4  for  those,  who  have  imposed  on  themselves  some  conviction, 
4  are  ready,  yea  willing,  to  suffer  death  in  support  of  their 
4  phantasies.  In  monastic  houses  many  pictures  exist  of 
4  Martyrs  undergoing  death,  for  which  they  were  canonized ; 
4  yet  there  are  numbers  of  men  who  have  undergone  equal 
4  dangers  and  death  for  the  love  of  women.' 

Spirits  associated  with  Places  and  Dress. 

4  17  Oct.,  1748. — I  have  observed,  that  whenever  I  hear  of 
4  anything  without  seeing  it,  I  attach  to  it  an  idea  of  place. 
4  This  idea  is  of  course  a  fiction,  the  event  having  occurred  in 
4  a  place  quite  unlike  that  which  I  imagined.  I  have  also 
4  observed,  that  when  I  have  been  for  some  time  in  one 


302 


SPIRITUAL  DIABT. 


4  chamber,  so  that  it  has  become  familiar  to  me,  I  am  better 
4  able  to  master  my  ideas  therein  than  elsewhere.  Thai 
1  yesterday,  having  removed  to  the  adjoining  room,  where  I 
4  wras  accustomed  to  write,  a  kind  of  tranquillity  ensued  among 
4  the  Spirits  around  me,  at  which  I  wondered.  Spirits  desire 
1  to  have  their  ideas  connected  with  place,  and  thus  rendered 

4  determinate  The  reason  is,  that  an  idea  is  not  fixed 

1  or  finited  without  space,  or,  which  is  the  same  thing,  without 

•  structure.  Spirits  draw  back  the  foot  when  thinking  of 
4  places,  which  is  a  kind  of  sign,  that  places  and  material  things 
4  serve  as  fulcra  for  their  thoughts. 

4  18  Oct.,  1748. — Upon  going  into  the  adjoining  chamber, 
4  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  a  solitude  had  been  created,  and  that 
4  the  Spirits  had  left  me.  All  the  while  they  were  present  in 
4  the  next  room,  where  were  my  books  and  other  things,  which 
1  they  had  seen.  Hence  it  may  be  inferred,  that  the  ideas  of 
4  Spirits  find  their  basis  in  books,  utensils,  light,  fire,  &c. 
4  When  I  left  these,  my  connection  with  them  was  broken,  and 
c  therefore  a  sense  of  solitude  was  induced. 

4  The  case  was  the  same  when  I  put  on  a  garment  different 
1  from  that  which  I  had  worn  for  several  months.  I  then 
4  seemed  to  the  Spirits  so  much  like  another  person,  that  they 
4  scarcely  knew  me. 

4  Thus  it  appears  that  the  ideas  of  Spirits  are  terminated 
4  in  material  things,  upon  the  removal  of  which,  they  know  not 

•  where  they  are  and  disappear. 

4  28  Oct. — You  will  previously  have  seen,  that  when  1 
4  moved  into  another  chamber  the  Spiriti  were  immediately 
1  estranged,  not  knowing  where  they  were  ;  and,  that  a  change 
4  in  my  clothes  produced  the  same  effect — a  striking  proof  that 
k  Spirits  ground  their  ideas  in  material  things  without  which 
k  they  are  absent. 

4  There  are  Spirits  who  use  my  books  (which  are  four,  and 
1  in  which  I  am  writing  this  journal)  for  this  purpose.  Some 

•  prefer  one  book,  some  another.' 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


303 


Boys  Fighting. 

i  20  Oct.)  1748. — Seeing  some  boys  fighting  I  felt  a  very 
i  high  degree  of  delight  flowing  in  from  certain  Spirits ;  from 
1  which  it  is  plain  how  much  they  love  enmities.  It  is  given 
4  me  to  know  instantly  the  character  of  Spirits,  and  not  to 
i  believe,  that  the  feelings  which  they  insinuate  are  my  own ; 
1  as  people  generally  do,  who  credit  themselves  with  whatever 
1  occurs  in  their  minds.' 

Our  Author  confesses  himself  the  happiest  of  Men. 

L  20  Oct. ,  1748. — Some  think,  that  those  who  are  in  the 
L  Faith  should  abandon  all  the  delights  of  life  and  pleasures  of 
1  the  body:  but  this  I  can  assert,  that  delights  and  pleasures 
1  have  never  been  denied  to  me;  for  I  have  been  permitted  to 
1  enjoy  not  only  the  pleasures  of  the  body  and  the  senses,  like 
1  others,  but  I  have  also  had  such  delights  and  felicities  of  life 
4  as,  I  believe,  no  person  in  the  whole  world  ever  before  en- 
4  joyed.  My  delights  and  felicities  have  been  greater  and 
L  more  exquisite  than  any  one  can  imagine  or  believe.' 

Prayers. 

L  24  Oct.)  1748. — It  was  perceived  that  prayers  effect  nothing 
1  while  merely  intended  to  deprecate  evils  and  the  thought  is, 
( 1  Provided  only  I  shall  have  made  deprecation  I  shall  obtain 
i  1  remission  of  sins.'  Sins  are  not  remitted  unless  confessed 
4  truly  from  the  heart,  attended  with  a  sort  of  internal  torture 
1  and  anguish,  and  confession  of  vileness ;  in  which  and  after 
4  which  prayers  avail.  Otherwise  prayers,  sacraments  and 
1  external  rites  effect  nothing  ;  nay,  they  rather  confirm  a 
'man  in  evil  and  quiet  his  conscience,  so  that  he  returns  to 
'  his  former  vileness.' 

Spirits  plotting  against  our  Author  in  London  Streets. 

L  2  Nov. j  1748. — It  was  often  observed,  that  when  I  was 
1  in  the  Streets,  Evil  Spirits  wished  to  cast  me  under  the 


304 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY, 


1  wheels  of  carriages;  the  effort  was  in  fact  habitual  to  them. 
1  To-day  I  noticed  particularly,  that  they  were  in  the  constant 
L  endeavoui  to  do  so.  I  was  enabled  to  perceive,  that  Evil 
'  Spirits  made  the  attempt,  and  that  indeed  such  mischief  is 
'  their  life.  I  perceived  likewise,  that  Man  is  continually 
L  preserved  by  the  Lord  and  their  purposes  frustrated.  Hence 
1  it  appears,  that  unless  the  Lord  in  every,  even  the  smallest 
4  moment,  preserved  Man,  yea  even  in  the  least  of  his  steps, 
1  he  would  immediately  perish.' 

Some  Sirens  wished  to  live  in  our  Author. 

c  4  Nov.)  1748. — There  are  Sirens  who  wish  above  all  things 
1  to  be  in  the  body.  When  I  eat,  they  wish  to  eat ;  yea,  not 
L  only  to  seize  the  food,  as  it  were,  with  the  lips,  but  to  carry 
L  their  hands  to  the  mouth.  By  these  Spirits  I  have,  for 
i  several  days,  been  infested;  they  seeking  to  obtain  the 
c  things  which  I  ate,  as  almond-cakes,  pears  and  pigeons, 
c  and  to  possess  my  body. 

Our  Author  possessed  by  Spirits. 

4  13  Nov.)  1748. — Spirits  abide  in  the  minds  and  memories 
L  of  Men,  but  through  me  they  have  been  enabled  to  return, 
L  as  it  were,  to  bodily  life  in  the  world.  They  were  able  to 
'  lead  me,  to  see  through  my  eyes,  and  to  hear  through  my 
L  ears.  They  might  also  have  talked  and  written  to  others 
c  through  me,  but  it  was  not  permitted ;  neither  to  touch 
1  others  through  my  hands. 

1  With  other  persons  the  case  is  different.  My  state  is  so 
4  ordered  by  the  Lord,  that  I  can  be  possessed  by  Spirits 
'  without  injury.  Others  so  possessed  become  non  compos, 
1  while  I  remain  altogether  in  my  right  mind.  Indeed,  from 
'  the  very  first  beginning  of  my  intercourse  with  Spirits  on- 
'  ward  through  several  years,  I  have  been  as  1  was  before, 
1  without  the  slightest  observable  difference. 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


305 


4  This  privilege  therefore  can  pertain  to  him  only,  who 
4  is  in  Faith,  and  by  no  means  to  any  others,  as  they 
4  would  immediately  perish.  Such  is  the  state  of  the  world 
1  at  this  day,  that  whoever  is  possessed  by  Spirits  incurs  the 
4  peril  of  his  life,  so  intense  is  the  infernal  hatred  which  now 
4  reigns. 

4  27  Nov.)  1748. — On  shaking  hands  with  a  certain  person 
'  I  had  a  feeling,  that  it  was  not  I  but  somebody  else  who 
4  grasped  the  hand.  A  Spirit  said,  that  he  distinctly  felt,  that 
4  it  was  he  who  took  the  hand  instead  of  me.  So  it  seems 
4  that  a  Spirit  really  had  possession  of  my  hand  with  its  sense 
4  of  touch.' 

He  who  on  Earth  loves  his  Neighbour  as  himself  will  in 
Heaven  love  his  Neighbour  better  than  himself. 

4  30  Nov.,  1748. — It  was  perceived,  that  he  who  in  the  life 
4  of  the  body,  loves  his  Neighbour  as  himself,  in  the  other  life 
4  loves  his  Neighbour  more  than  himself ;  for  love  is  then  indefi- 
4  nitely  increased.  Here  one  cannot  go  beyond  the  point  of 
4  loving  his  Neighbour  as  himself,  because  he  is  in  corporeals ; 
4  but  with  those  who  have  passed  out  of  this  life,  love  becomes 
4  pure  and  at  length  angelic,  and  angelic  love  cares  for  others 
4  more  than  for  self.' 

Advised  to  suppress  his  Revelations. 

4  9  Dec,  1748. — There  are  Spirits  who  are  averse  to  any- 
4  thing  being  said  about  the  things  revealed  to  me.  It  was 
4  replied,  that  these  revelations  were  instead  of  miracles,  and, 
4  that  without  them  men  would  not  know  the  nature  of  my 
4  work,  nor  buy  it,  nor  read  it,  nor  understand  it,  nor  be 
4  affected  by  it,  nor  believe  it ;  in  a  word,  they  would  remain 
4  in  ignorance  and  would  wish  to  hear  nothing  of  the  interiors 
4  of  the  Word,  which  they  regard  as  vain  phantasies.  Such 
4  as  are  simply  men  of  learning  will  for  the  most  part  reject 
4  my  revelations.' 

x 


306 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


Bishoj)  Svedberg. 
1  2(>  March^  1749. — It  was  perceived,  that  my  father  was 
1  sent  forth  by  the  Lord  for  the  performance  of  various  uses 
1  among  his  fellow-men,  now  here  and  now  there,  because  his 
1  delight  consisted  in  an  active  life.' 

Dreams  are  from  the  World  of  Spirits. 

4  6  April,  1741). — I  dreamt  during  the  night  and  on  waking 
'  spoke  with  Spirits,  who  said  they  had  been  watching  around 
4  me,  and  that  they  had  induced  the  dream  and  expressly 
4  caused  everything,  which  I  remembered  and  related.  From 
4  this  it  is  still  more  manifest  to  me,  that  dreams  are  from  the 
1  World  of  Spirits.' 

Evil  punishes  and  Goodness  rewards  itself. 

4  13  April,  1749. — It  appears  from  the  universal  order  of 
4  Heaven  and  Hell,  that  it  is  ordained,  that  Evil  shall  punish 
'  itself,  and  then  tend  to  abolish  itself.  Such  is  the  Divine 
4  order  in  the  permission  of  Evil.  It  is  also  a  universal  law, 
4  that  Love  shall  reward  itself.  Thus  it  fares  with  every  one 
'just  as  he  wills  to  others.' 

A  Discussion  about  the  Origin  of  Good  and  Evil, 

4  21  April,  1749. — It  was  shewn  me  how  numerous  they 

4  are  who  believe,  that  Faith  without  works  is  saving  

4  From  my  saying,  that  Charity  was  what  saved,  and  dwelling 
4  at  some  length  on  that  point,  they  infested  me  during  the 
4  whole  night.  The  Preachers  of  Faith  without  AVorks  are 
4  strongly  vindictive,  nor  do  they  fail  to  inflict  punishment  on 
1  him,  who  does  aught  in  opposition  to  them.  That  they  are 
'  unforgiving  was  clearly  evinced  by  their  persistently  infesting 
4  me  the  whole  night,  and  in  the  morning  they  were  as  intent 
4  as  ever. 

4  When  I  spoke  with  them  at  an  early  hour  they  told  me, 
1  that  1  was  nothing  because  I  was  impelled  to  think,  to  speak, 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


307 


1  and  to  do  everything,  and  that  therefore  I  was  nothing  of 
1  myself ;  which  indeed  many  Spirits  manifestly  perceived. 

4  I  have  now  been  for  four  years  in  such  a  state,  that  I 
4  have  neither  thought,  nor  spoken  anything  from  myself.  I 
4  see,  that  when  I  seem  to  be,  as  it  were,  myself  in  thinking  or 
4  speaking,  yet  upon  inquiry,  there  are  others  instantly  found 
4  who  have  prompted  me. 

4  When  I  spoke  with  them  therefore  in  the  morning,  it  was 
4  given  me  to  say,  that  this  was  well,  inasmuch  that  if  any- 
4  thing  evil  is  thought  or  spoken  it  is  not  mine,  but  proceeds 
4  from  Evil  Spirits ;  wherefore  it  is  not  appropriated  by  me. 

4  If  I  should  believe,  that  the  evil  was  from  myself,  then 
4  the  evil  would  properly  belong  to  me ;  thus  I  should  add 
4  evil  to  evil. 

4  On  the  contrary :  whatever  is  good  is  from  the  Lord ; 
4  and  as  when  I  speak  truth  or  do  good  I  do  not  ascribe  merit 
4  to  myself,  so  neither  do  I  ascribe  to  myself  sin. 

4  He  therefore,  who  is  in  true  faith  and  believes  the  case  to 
4  be  as  it  is,  is  guiltless  of  committing  sin.  "Whatever  evil  he 
4  seems  to  himself  to  do,  knowing  that  Evil  Spirits  have  been 
4  present  and  persuaded  him  to  it,  the  evil  is  not  then  appro- 
4  priated  to  him.* 

4  As  many  of  those  with  whom  I  conversed  were  Preachers, 
4  they  said  that  the  doctrine  was  sound,  wishing  the  case  to  be 
4  their  own,  that  they  might  account  themselves  free  from  sin. 


*  This  proposition  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  Swedeuborg's  writings. 
In  his  ' Divine  Providence,"1  No.  320,  he  states,  'That  if  a  man  would  believe, 
'as  is  the  truth,  that  everything  good  and  true  is  from  the  Lord,  and  every  - 
'  thing  evil  and  false  from  Hell,  he  -would  neither  appropriate  to  himself 
'  goodness,  and  make  it  meritorious,  nor  would  he  appropriate  to  himself  evil, 
'  and  make  himself  guilty  of  it.'  In  the  ' Arcana  Ccdestia,'  No.  6,559,  he  says, 
'  If  perchance  Good  Spirits  speak  or  do  evil,  they  are  not  punished,  but  par- 
4  doned,  and  also  excused ;  for  their  end  is  not  to  speak  evil,  nor  to  do  it ; 
'  and  they  know,  that  such  things  are  excited  in  them  from  Hell,  so  as  to 
1  come  forth  without  any  blame  of  theirs ;  this  is  also  perceived  from  their 
'  struggling  against  such  evils,  and  afterwards  from  their  grief.'  See  also 
Nos.  4,151,  6,206,  6.324-5. 

x  2 


308 


SPIRITUAL  DIARY. 


4  It  was  given  me  to  say  to  them,  that  such  could  never  be 
4  their  case,  unless  they  were  in  the  Faith  of  Charity ;  that  it 
'  was  not  enough  to  know  the  truth,  but  that  it  must  be  ac- 
4  knowledged  and  believed.  If  acknowledged  in  this  life  it 
4  would  be  far  more  deeply  acknowledged  in  the  other.  Then 
4  also  they  would  find,  that  no  one  can  have  Faith  but  from  the 
4  Lord,  nor  consequently  confess  the  origin  of  good  and  evil. 

4  All  this  the  Preachers  said  was  true,  for  they  had  preached, 
4  that  Faith  was  from  the  Lord  alone  ;  yet  they  had  never  truly 
4  acknowledged  it. 

4  It  was  farther  said,  that  they  had  preached,  that  when 
4  any  one  did  evil,  he  allowed  himself  to  be  led  of  the  Devil ; 
4  and  as  to  themselves,  that  when  they  preached  well,  that 
4  they  were  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  had  prayed,  that  the 
1  Holy  Spirit  would  guide  their  thoughts  and  words.  Xever- 
f  tholess  they  had  not  believed  those  professions  ;  and  this  they 
'  acknowledged.  They  were  remitted  into  the  state  of  self- 
4  love  from  which  they  had  thus  spoken  of  the  inspiration  of 
4  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of  the  Devil,  and  then  they  confessed, 
4  that  they  had  no  actual  belief  in  their  own  words.' 

Hypocrites. 

4  Id  August,  1749. — The  aspect  of  Hypocrites  was  shown 
4  me.  They  have  no  face,  but  an  open  throat,  black  within, 
4  and  yawning  exceedingly,  with  a  few  snow-white  teeth. 
4  They  have  no  cheeks,  but  a  quantity  of  hair  depending  like 
4  an  uncouth  mass  of  wool.' 

The  Lords  Providence. 

4  15  Sept.  1749.   1  discoursed  largely  with   Spirits  and 

'  Angels  concerning  the  Providence  of  the  Lord  Man 

L  w  alks  as  it  were  in  thick  forests,  the  egress  from  which  he 
4  does  not  know,  but  when  he  finds  it.  he  attributes  the  dis- 
1  covery  to  himself.    Providence  in  the  meanwhile  is  as  one 


SPIRITUAL  D1AEY. 


309 


4  who  stands  in  a  tower,  sees  the  wanderings  of  the  man,  and 
i  leads  him  without  his  knowledge  to  the  place  of  egress.' 

A  disappointed  Lover  excited  our  Author  to  kill  himself. 

L  There  was  a  certain  woman  (Sara  Hesselia)  who  inwardly 
4  cherished  such  an  aversion  to  her  parents,  that  she  meditated 
1  poisoning  them.  She  took  it  into  her  head,  that  I  was 
L  willing  to  marry  her,  and  when  she  found  out  that  she  was 
4  mistaken,  she  was  seized  with  such  hatred,  that  she  thought 
i  of  killing  me,  had  it  been  possible.  She  died  not  long 
*  afterwards. 

c  Some  time  before  the  faculty  of  conversing  with  Spirits 
L  was  opened  in  me,  I  was  impelled  to  commit  suicide  with  a 
i  knife.  The  impulse  grew  so  strong,  that  I  was  forced  to 
L  hide  the  knife  out  of  sight  in  my  desk. 

1  I  have  now  discovered,  that  Sara  Hesselia  was  the  Spirit 
'  who  excited  the  suicidal  impulse  as  often  as  I  saw  the  knife. 
4  From  this  it  may  appear,  that  men  may  be  unconsciously 
'  infested  with  Spirits,  who  hated  them  during  their  life  on 
4  earth.' 

Here  we  must  stop.  Our  selections  have  been  made  from 
a  surface  of  fifteen  hundred  printed  pages,  and  they  may  give 
the  reader  some  idea  of  the  multifarious  and  extraordinary 
contents  of  Swedenborg's  £  Spiritual  Diary."1  We  shall  have 
yet  more  surprising  entries  to  read  from  it  ere  we  have  done. 


(    310  ) 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  1  ARCANA  (XELESTIA.1 


Whilst  Swedenborg  was  making  these  entries  in  his  1 Diary 
he  was  busily  engaged  on  his  first  theological  publication,  the 
'  Arcana  Ccelestia.1  The  first  volume  was  issued  in  1749,  and 
at  the  rate  of  a  volume  a  year,  the  work  was  completed  in 
1756  in  eight  quartos.  It  will  be  observed,  that  Swedenborg 
was  upwards  of  sixty  years  of  age  when  he  thus  manifested 
himself  to  the  world  as  Divine  and  Seer.  Perhaps  I  ought  to 
use  some  other  word  than,  c  manifested  j1  for  he  studiously 
preserved  the  anonymous;  and  not  until  1768,  after  twenty 
years  of  active  authorship,  did  he  allow  his  name  to  appear  on 
any  title-page. 

The  publisher  of  the  'Arcana  Ccelestia''  was  John  Lewis, 
Paternoster  Row,  London.  The  first  volume  fell  still-born 
from  the  press.  Swedenborg  was  in  Stockholm,  and  in  the 
c  Diary'  he  describes  his  failure  and  accounts  for  its  causes  thus — 

'  In  what  way  many  icill  receive  that  which  is  icritten 
by  me.1 

1  I  have  received  letters  informing  me,  that  not  more  than 

*  four  copies  have  been  sold  in  the  space  of  two  months.  I 
k  communicated  this  to  the  Angels.    They  were  surprised,  but 

•  tlu  y  said,  it  must  be  left  to  the  Lord's  Providence ;  that  His 
1  Providence  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  it  compels  no  one ;  and 
'  that  it  is  do!  fitting,  that  others  should  read  the  1  Arcana 
1  Ccelestia1  before  those  who  are  in  the  faith. 

'  That  such  is  the  case  is  also  known  from  the  advent  of 


SMALL  DEMAND  FOR  THE  WORK. 


311 


1  the  Lord  into  the  world.  He  was  able  to  compel  men  to 
c  receive  His  words  and  Himself,  but  He  compelled  no  one  ;  in 
'  like  manner  He  acted  through  the  Apostles.  Nevertheless 
k  there  were  found  those,  who  became  receivers  of  the  truth ; 
'  they  were  those  who  were  in  faith,  and  to  them  were  the 
1  Apostles  sent. 

I  The  state  of  the  Christian  World  at  this  day  was  also 
4  proved  by  this  experiment.  Spirits  were  brought  into  the 
i  state  of  mind  in  which  they  had  been  during  their  life  in  the 
1  body.  They  were  then  permitted  to  think  about  those  things, 
L  which  have  been  written  by  me  concerning  the  Internal 
1  Sense  of  Scripture  and  the  Future  Life ;  and  they  were  then 
1  as  if  they  would  vomit.  They  were  thus  disgusted  with  my 
1  writings,  which  themselves  also  confessed.'* 

He  had  consulted  the  Angels  as  to  the  number  of  copies 
he  ought  to  print,  but  he  found  them  poor,  because  pliable, 
advisers.  They  merely  perceived  his  evangelical  purpose, 
and  if  he  proposed  an  edition  of  five  hundred,  or  ten  thousand 
they  equally  approved.    Hence  he  writes — 

I I  have  been  taught  by  manifold  experience,  that  Angels 
c  and  Spirits  will  sanction  counsels  as  wise  and  advantageous, 
1  which  are  quite  the  reverse.  They  only  regard  the  good 
1  intention,  and  can  be  induced  to  affirm  any  thing,  which 
1  promises  to  advance  hvf 

Among  the  few  readers  the  1  Arcana  Ccelestia1  found  was 
one  Stephen  Penny  of  Dartmouth.  Anxious  to  learn  some- 
thing of  its  author  Penny  wrote  to  publisher  Lewis,  who  sent 
his  letter  to  i  The  General  Advertiser,  in  which  it  appeared  on 
Christmas  Day,  1749.  Here  it  is  with  Lewis's  note  to  the 
editor  of  the  L  Advertiser' — 

1  Sir, — If  you  will  insert  the  following  letter  in  your  paper, 

*  The  date  of  the  entry  is  uncertain.  The  nearest  date  is  15  Sept.,  17-49, 
at  the  end  of  No.  4,389.  The  next  which  follows  is  11  Jan.,  1752,  at  the  end 
of  No.  4,550.    It  was  probably  written  about  the  beginning  of  1750. 

t  '  Spiritual  Diary,'  No.  1,164,  4  March,  1748. 


312 


STEPHEN   PENNY'S  LETTER. 


4  it  may  induce  the  curious  in  the  Learned  World  to  peruse 
4  a  work  very  entertaining  and  pleasant,  and  oblige, 

4  Sir,  yours  &c, 

4  John  Lewis. 

4  To  Mr.  John  Lewis,  in  Paternoster  Bow, 
4  Cheapside,  London.' 

4  Dartmouth,  15  October,  1749. 

4  Sir, — Accidentally  reading  the  advertisement  of  the  LAr- 
4  4  cana  Ccelestia^  excited  by  the  oddness  of  the  title,  I  pre- 
4  sently  ordered  my  friend  in  London  to  send  me  one.  The 
4  extraordinary  degree  of  pleasure  the  reading  of  it  has  given 
4  me,  and  the  yet  more  expected  from  what  more  is  to  be 
4  published,  induce  me  to  request  advice  as  often  as  any  new 
4  publication  happens,  which  1  apprehend  to  be  designed 
4  annually.  My  reason  for  troubling  you  is,  because  I  very 
4  rarely  see  any  of  the  public  papers,  and  consequently,  future 
4  advertisements  may  escape  my  knowledge,  which,  I  hope, 
4  will  excuse  me. 

4 1  have  long  ardently  wished  to  see  the  historical  part  of 
4  the  Old  Testament,  which  seems  only  to  regard  the  Jewish 
4  Dispensation  (and  upon  that  account  is  too  lightly  regarded 
4  by  the  major  part  of  the  present  Christian  World),  proved  to 
4  be  as  delightful,  instructive,  and  as  necessary  for  the  know- 
4  ledge  of  Christians  as  the  Xew.  This  the  ''Arcana  Ccelcstia ' 
4  gives  me  the  fullest  satisfaction  of. 

4  The  illumined  author,  whoever  he  is,  (is  it  Mr.  Law  ?  *) 
4  must  expect  a  considerable  array  of  gown-men  to  draw  their 
4  pens  against  him.  It  is  a  blessing  their  power  is  prescribed 
b  within  impassable  bounds. 

4  The  favour  of  a  line  in  answer,  to  know  what  dependence 
4  I  may  make  upon  you.  will  very  much  oblige, 

4  Sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

4  Stephen  Penny. 


•  William  Law.  author  of  'J  &  rious  Cull  to  a  Devout  and  llol<j  Li/t.' 
was  born  10Si>  and  died  0  April,  1701. 


A  NEW  BID  FOR  POPULARITY. 


313 


4  P.S. — Perhaps  the  author  was  concerned  in  the  publica- 
4  tion  of  Mr.  Hutchinson's  works  ?*  Has  he  published  any 
'  other  work  ?  and  at  what  price  ?' 

Lewis  appends  this  advertisement — 

c  This  large  Latin  book  is  neatly  printed  in  4to. ;  and  sold 
4  by  Mr.  Xourse,  at  the  Lamb,  opposite  Katherine  Street,  in 
4  the  Strand ;  Mr.  Ware,  at  the  Bible  on  Ludgate  Hill ;  and 
4  by  John  Lewisr  printer  of  the  same,  as  above  mentioned : 
4  price  6s.  unbound.' 

The  publication  of  the  first  volume  proving  so  complete  a 
failure  some  extra  effort  was  felt  requisite  over  the  second. 
This  Swedenborg  and  Lewis  made.  They  had  the  second 
volume  translated  into  English  by  one  Jolm  Marchant,  hired 
probably  out  of  Grub  Street ,f  and  issued  it  in  numbers  at  a 
very  cheap  rate  :  the  first  number  consisting  of  fifty-two  pages 
quarto  was  sold  for  Sd.  In  4  The  General  Advertiser '  of 
Friday,  23rd  February,  1749-50,  it  was  thus  announced — 

4  This  Day  is  Published,  (Price  Sd.) 

4  Both  in  Latin  and  English,  that  the  Keader  may  have  it 
4  in  either  Tongue  separately, 

4  The  First  Xumber  of  the  ''Arcana  Ccelestia'^  or,  Hea- 
4  venly  Secrets.  Being  an  Exposition  of  the  Bible  entirely 
4  new,  and  such  as  was  never  attempted  before  in  any  language 
4  whatsoever.    Written  in  Latin  by  a  Foreign  Xobleman. 


*  Alluding  to  John  Hutchinson,  Steward  to  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  born 
1674;  died  1737.  Hutchinson  held,  that  the  Old  Testament  contained  a 
true  system  of  natural  history  as  well  as  religion,  and  opposed  the  New- 
tonian theory  of  the  universe  with  many  arguments.  Hutchinsonianism  is 
little  heard  of  now,  but  last  century  it  was  the  doctrine  of  not  a  few  of  the 
most  erudite  and  orthodox  divines,  as  Bishop  Home,  Parkhurst,  Romaine, 
and  Jones  of  Xayland. 

f  The  translation  is  not  a  good  one;  evidently  a  piece  of  hack-work. 
Copies  of  this  English  version  of  the  '  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Vol.  EL,  quarto, 
London,  1750,  are  very  scarce ;  only  three  or  four  are  known  to  be  extant, 
and  are  valued  at  high  prices  by  collectors. 


314 


lewis's  advertisement. 


4  A  fuller  account  may  be  had  gratis  of  John  Lewis, 
4  Printer  and  Publisher  in  Paternoster  Row :  Mr.  Xourse  in 
4  the  Strand ;  and  Mr.  Ware  oo  Ludgate  Hill,  where  the 
4  number  may  be  had,  as  well  as  at  the  Pamphlet-shops.' 

4  The  fuller  account  gratis  '  is  long,  and  I  have  been 
tempted  to  abridge  it,  but  on  further  consideration,  give  it 
entire.  In  his  puff  Lewis  intermingles  the  shopman,  the  critic 
and  the  disciple  with  somewhat  queer  effect.  As  Swedenborg 
was  in  Sweden,  I  presume,  he  had  no  share  in  its  concoction. 

4  Paternoster  Row,  5  February,  1750. 

1  Advertisement,  by  John  Lewis,  printer  and  publisher,  in 
4  Paternoster  Row,  near  Cheapside,  London.  Be  it  known 
4  unto  all  the  Learned  and  Curious,  that  this  day  is  published, 
4  the  first  number  of  4  Arcana  Coelestia,  or  Heavenly  Secrets, 
4  4  which  are  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  or  Word  of  the  Lord,  laid 
4  4  open  ;  as  they  are  found  in  the  xvi.  chapter  of  Genesis  : 
4  4  together  with  the  wonderful  things  that  have  been  seen  in  the 
4  4  World  of  Spirits,  and  in  the  Heaven  of  Angels' 

4  This  work  is  intended  to  be  such  an  exposition  of  the 
4  whole  Bible  as  was  never  attempted  in  any  language  before. 
4  The  Author  is  a  Learned  Foreigner,  who  wrote  and  printed 
4  the  first  volume  of  the  same  work  but  last  year,  all  in  Latin, 
4  which  may  be  seen  at  my  shop  in  Paternoster  Row,  as  above- 
4  mentioned. 

4  And  now  the  second  volume  is  printing,  both  in  Latin  and 
4  English  |  to  be  published  in  cheap  numbers,  that  the  Public 
4  may  have  it  in  an  easier  manner,  in  either  tongue,  than  in 
4  whole  volumes. 

4  It  must  be  confessed  that  this  nation  abounds  with  a 
4  variety  of  commentaries  and  expositions  on  the  Holy  Bible ; 
4  yet  when  we  consider  what  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  know- 
1  ledge  the  Sacred  Scripture  contains,  the  importance  of  the 
k  subjects  it  treats  of,  and  the  vast  concern  every  man  has  in 
k  those  things  they  relate  and  recommend,  we  may  cease  to 
4  wonder  that  so  many  ingenious  pens  have  been  employed  in 


lewis's  advertisement. 


315 


4  sounding  the  depths  of  this  vast  ocean ;  and  he  must  be  a 
4  very  dull  writer  indeed,  who  does  not  find  a  pretty  large 
4  number  of  readers  of  any  work  he  may  publish  of  this  kind. 
4 1  would  be  far  from  depreciating  the  merit  of  any  man's 
4  performance,  nay,  I  will  allow,  that  it  is  owing  to  the 
4  labours  of  learned  and  pious  men,  in  their  disquisitions  after 
4  truth  in  the  Bible,  that  we  of  this  kingdom  have  been  enabled 
4  to  discern  truth  from  error,  and  to  know  more  of  the  mind 
4  and  will  of  God  in  His  Word,  than  the  Priests  of  Rome  were 
4  willing  we  should.  Yet  give  me  leave  to  add,  that  these 
4  sacred  writings  are  capable  of  speaking  to  the  heart  and 
4  understanding  of  man,  by  more  ways  than  have  been  thought 
4  of,  or  put  into  practice ;  and  he  who  can  discover  new" 
4  treasures  in  these  sacred  mines,  and  produce  from  them  such 
4  rich  jewels  as  were  never  yet  seen  by  the  eye  of  man,  will 
4  undoubtedly  challenge  our  strictest  attention,  and  deserve 
4  encouragement  in  his  pious  labours.  This,  then,  may  be  said 
4  of  our  Author.  He  has  struck  out  a  new  path  through  this 
4  deep  abyss,  which  no  man  ever  trod  before  ;  he  has  left  all 
4  the  commentators  and  expositors  to  stand  on  their  own 
4  footing ;  he  neither  meddles  nor  interferes  with  any  of  them ; 
4  his  thoughts  are  all  his  own  ;  and  the  ingenious  and  sublime 
4  turn  he  has  given  to  everything  in  the  Scriptures,  he  has 
4  copied  from  no  man;  and  therefore,  even  in  this  respect,  he  has 
4  some  title  to  the  regard  of  the  Ingenious  and  Learned  World. 

4  It  is  true,  when  a  reader  comes  to  peruse  his  work,  if  he 
4  expects  to  understand  him  with  a  slight  and  cursory  reading, 
4  he  will  find  himself  greatly  mistaken ;  his  thoughts  are  too 
4  sublime  and  lofty  to  be  surveyed  with  a  weak  or  a  wanton 
4  eye ;  his  language  is  quite  different  from  the  common  modes 
4  of  speech ;  and  his  sense  is  sometimes  so  deep  and  profound, 
4  as  not  to  be  readily  apprehended  by  a  common  understanding. 
4  Whoever  therefore  takes  this  book  in  hand,  and  finds  passages 
4  in  it  not  easily  intelligible,  let  him  not  throw  it  by  as  a  thing 
4  of  no  value,  nor  content  himself  with  a  bare  perusal ;  but  let 


316 


L EW ISS  ADYB BT ISEMEXT. 


4  him  read  it  over  and  over  again ;  let  him  study  the  drift  and 
4  design  of  the  Author  j  and  I  will  answer  for  it,  that  the  more 
4  and  ottcner  he  reads,  the  man  instruction  and  delight  he  will 
k  receive.  The  Author  has  a  depth  which  if  once  fathomed, 
4  (and  it  is  not  unfathomable)  will  yield  the  noblest  repast  to  a 
4  pious  mind.  But  if  any  one  imagines,  that  I  ny  this  to  puff 
4  a  book,  in  the  sale  of  which  my  interest  is  so  nearly  concerned, 
4  any  gentleman  is  welcome  to  peruse  it  at  my  shop,  and  to 
4  purchase  it  or  not,  as  his  own  judgement  shall  direct  him. 

1  Xothing  recommends  a  book  more  effectually  to  the 
4  public  than  the  eminence  and  credit  of  its  Author:  nothing  is 
4  more  notorious,  than  that  a  weak  performance,  if  it  appear 
4  under  a  great  name,  shall  be  better  received  in  the  world  than 
4  the  most  sublime  and  ingenious  productions  of  an  obscure 
'  person :  so  that  it  is  not  merit  but  prejudice,  that  generally 
4  governs  the  judgement  of  men. 

4  Though  the  Author  of  the  4  Arcana  Ccelestia1  is  undoubt- 
4  edlv  a  very  learned  and  great  man,  and  his  works  highly 
4  esteemed  by  the  literati,  yet  he  is  no  less  distinguished  for  his 
4  modesty  than  for  his  great  talents,  so  that  he  will  not  suffer 
4  his  name  to  be  made  public.  But  though  I  am  positively 
4  forbid  to  discover  that,  yet  I  hope  he  will  excuse  me  if 
4 1  venture  to  mention  his  benign  and  generous  qualities. 
4  How  he  bestowed  his  time  and  labours  in  former  years,  I 
4  am  not  certainly  informed :  though  I  have  heard  by  those, 
4  who  have  been  long  acquainted  with  him,  that  they  were 
4  employed  in  the  same  manner  as  1  am  going  to  relate)  but 
4  what  I  have  been  an  eye-witness  to,  I  can  declare  with 
4  certain  truth ;  and  therefore  I  do  aver,  that  this  gentleman, 
4  with  indefatigable  pains  and  labour,  spent  one  whole  year  in 
4  studying  and  writing  the  first  volume  of  the  4  Arcana  C&lestiaJ 
4  vrai  at  the  expense  of  £200  to  print  it,  and  also  advanced 
1  £200  more  for  the  printing  of  this  second  volume  :  and  when 
1  he  had  done  this,  he  gave  express  orders,  that  all  the  money 
k  that  should  ari^e  in  the  sale  of  this  large  work  should  be  given 


lewis's  advertisement. 


317 


4  towards  the  charge  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel.*  He 
4  is  so  far  from  desiring  to  make  a  gain  of  his  labours,  that  he 
4  he  will  not  receive  one  farthing  back  of  the  £400  he  has  ex- 
4  ponded  ;  and  for  that  reason  his  works  will  come  exceedingly 
4  cheap  to  the  Public. 

4  I  further  declare,  I  have  not  the  least  reason  in  the  world 
4  to  believe  him  a  bigot  to  any  mode  or  method  of  religion  ; 
4 1  know  not  what  community  he  belongs  to,  or  whether  he 
4  belongs  to  any  ;  if  any  one  can  guess  by  his  writings,  he 
4  knows  where  to  find  them.  But  it  matters  not  what  or  who 
4  the  person  is  that  writes,  if  his  writings  are  founded  on  truth, 
*  and  agreeable  to  such  learned  men  as  are  competent  judges 
4  of  them.  The  deepest  and  most  learned,  as  well  as  the  most 
4  valuable  pieces,  are  sometimes  misunderstood  and  rejected  for 
4  many  years,  even  by  learned  men  themselves •  to  instance 
4  only  three  performances  out  of  the  many  that  might  be  pro- 
4  duced,  viz. ,  Locke  LOn  the  Human  Understanding -,'  Milton's 
4  ''Paradise  Lost  J  and  Prideaux's  Connection  of  the  Old  and 
L  L  New  Testament.''  Those  who  have  been  conversant  with 
4  books,  especially  in  the  trading  way,  cannot  be  ignorant  of 
4  the  difficulties  these  valuable  pieces  have  met  with  in  making 
4  their  way  into  the  world  :  and  it  is  as  remarkable  now  to 
4  observe,  how  they  have  been  called  for  and  admired  for  many 
4  years  past. 

4  How  this  great  work  of  ''Arcana  Coelestia  '  will  succeed 
4  in  the  world,  is  impossible  at  present  to  determine.  If  all 
4  men  of  learning  were  of  the  same  mind  with  the  ingenious 
4  and  pious  Mr.  Penny,  of  Dartmouth,  we  need  not  fear  success ; 


*  Lewis,  I  presume,  meant  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
in  Foreign  Parts,  founded  in  London  and  incorporated  1701.  Of  this  Society- 
Bishop  Svedberg  was  elected  a  member,  he  being  Bishop  over  the  Swedish 
Churches  in  England  and  Pennsylvania.  I  have  examined  the  Reports  of  the 
Society  for  several  years  subsequent  to  1749,  but  can  find  no  proceeds  entered 
either  under  the  name  of  Lewis  or  Swedenborg  from  the  sale  of  the  '  Arcana 
•  Coelestia.'' 


318 


lewis's  advertisem  ent. 


4  for,  in  his  letter  to  me,  on  the  publication  of  the  first  volume, 
4  are  these  following  words  :  1  I  have  long  ardently  wished  to 
4  4  see  the  historical  part  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  seems 
4 4  only  to  regard  the  Jewish  Dispensation  (and  upon  that 
4  4  account  is  too  lightly  regarded  by  the  major  part  of  the 
4 4  present  Christian  World),  proved  to  be  as  delightful,  in- 
4  4  structive,  and  as  necessary  for  the  knowledge  of  Christians 
4  4  as  the  New.  This  the  ''Arcana  Ccelestia'  gives  me  fullest 
4  4  satisfaction  of.'  A  copy  of  this  letter  was  printed  at  large 
4  in  4  The  Daily  Advertiser''  of  Christmas-day,  1749.  Now 
4  this  delightful,  instructive,  and  necessary  knowledge  cannot 
4  be  expected  from  this  part  of  Holy  Writ,  unless  the  historical 
4  part  of  the  Old  Testament  be  allegorized  in  some  Bach 
4  manner  as  our  Latin  Author  has  here  done  it.  And  the 
4  great  and  learned,  as  wrell  as  the  inspired  Apostle  Paul, 
4  clearly  give  encouragement  to  this  way  of  writing.  (Gal. 
4  iv.  24.)  And  our  Author  neither  rejects,  nor  disturbs  the 
4  literal  sense  by  his  allegorical  exposition. 

4  Soon  after  the  publication  of  Mr.  Penny's  letter  before 
4  mentioned,  a  grave,  judicious,  and  learned  gentleman  was 
4  pleased  to  call  at  one  of  the  booksellers  where  this  famous 
4  Latin  book  was  appointed  to  be  sold :  and  when  he  had  cast 
4  his  eye  over  part  of  the  work,  he  inquired  who  the  author 
4  was ;  but  being  told  that  the  author  would  not  be  known, 
4  44  Well,"  said  the  gentleman,  44 1  confess  that  at  these  years  I 
4  44  am  not  fond  of  new  acquaintance,  but  should  be  extremely 
4  44  glad  to  have  some  conversation  with  him ;  for,'1  continued 
4  he,  with  great  earnestness,  11 1  never  saw,  nor  heard,  nor  read 
4  44  of  so  surprising  a  man  in  all  my  days !" 

4  Any  one  of  small  judgement  may  guess  at  the  cheapness 
4  of  the  work,  when  he  finds  that  six  hundred  and  forty  quarto 
4  pages,  in  Latin,  of  the  first  volume,  are  sold  for  no  more  than 
4  6s.  unbound.  Put  this  second  volume,  which  is  now  pub- 
4  lishing  in  Latin  and  English,  will  be  unaccountably  cheap, 
4  as  any  one  may  conclude,  even  bv  the  postage  of  the  Latin 


lewis's  advertisement. 


319 


'  copy  from  abroad :  for  the  bare  postage  of  this  first  number 
1  cost  no  less  than  12s. ,  and  now  it  is  printed,  does  make  fifty- 
4  two  quarto  pages  in  the  English  tongue ;  and  all  to  be  sold 
4  for  no  more  than  8d.,  which  is  not  half  the  price  that  such  a 
4  quantity  of  paper  and  print  is  generally  sold  for.  The  post- 
4  age  of  the  second  number  came  to  18s.;  and  that  of  the  third 
i  amounted  to  22s. ;  and  yet  these  two  numbers  are  to  be  sold 
4  for  no  more  than  9d .  each ;  so  that  from  hence  it  is  easy  to 
1  imagine  how  cheap  the  whole  will  be,  especially  when  printed 
'  in  such  a  grand  and  pompous  manner  at  so  low  a  price.  But 
4  it  is  the  generous  Author's  absolute  command  that  it  should 
4  be  so,  who,  it  is  plain,  wants  neither  purse  nor  spirit  to  carry 
4  on  his  laudable  undertaking. 

4  As  the  copy  comes  from  a  foreign  country,  and  as  one 
4  number  may  contain  nearly  double  the  quantity  of  another, 
4  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  fix  a  certain  regular  time  for  the 
4  publication  of  each.  But  this  the  Public  may  be  assured  of, 
4  that  when  a  fresh  number  is  published,  it  shall  be  advertised 
4  in  the  newspapers.  Those  who  are  pleased  to  give  their 
4  orders  to  the  News-Carriers,  will  have  every  number  as  cer- 
4  tainlv  as  though  they  were  apprised  of  the  certain  time  of  its 
4  coming  out.  And  the  price  will  be  printed  on  the  title  of 
4  each  English  number  (and  every  Latin  number  will  be  of  the 
4  same  price  with  the  English) ,  so  that  the  readers  may  be  sure 
4  that  they  will  not  be  imposed  upon ;  for  sometimes  the  bulk 
4  of  the  book  will  plainly  appear  to  be  worth  five  times  as  much 
4  as  will  be  required  for  it. 

4  Those  who  are  so  happy  as  to  be  well  acquainted  with 
4  the  Latin  tongue,  will  be  highly  delighted  with  the  Author's 
4  elegant  and  sublime  language.' 

This  cheapness  and  these  advertisements  bore  little  or  no 
result.  The  public  would  not  buy.  The  English  translation 
and  the  issue  in  numbers  were  discontinued  with  the  com- 
pletion of  the  second  volume.  The  4 Arcana  Ccelestia '  had, 
however,  to  be  printed,  whether  readers  could  be  found  for  it 


320 


law's  contempt  for  swepexp.org. 


or  not,  and  volume  after  volume  came  forth  until  the  eighth 
in  1756. 

If  there  was  any  man  more  than  another  who  might  have 
been  expected  to  welcome  the  '•Arcana  Ccelestia,'  it  would 
have  been  William  Law,  but  the  reverse  proved  to  be  the 
case.  Writing  to  a  friend  in  London  from  his  retreat.  King's 
Cliff,  Northamptonshire,  he  says — 

1  9  April,  1758. 

*  Pray  tell  Mr.  Ward,  that  I  desire  him  to  buy  me  the  8th 
1  volume  of  the  1  Arcana  Ccelestia he  bought  the  first  seven 
c  volumes  for  me,  and  so  knows  the  volume  that  I  have  not. 
4 1  shall  never  go  through  them,  but  as  I  have  gone  so  far  in 
1  the  expense,  I  shall  take  this  last  volume.' 

Stephen  Penny,  whose  letter  of  inquiry  to  Lewis  has  been 
quoted,  wrote  to  Law,  asking — 

c  30  September,  1 755. 

1  What  is  your  opinion  of  the  1  Arcana  Ccelestia  V  a  book 
1  publishing  in  Latin  in  London.  The  author  is  a  Swedish 
1  nobleman  called  Emanuel  Swedenborg.1 

Unfortunately  we  have  not  Law's  reply,  but  he  is  said 
to  have  answered  a  similar  inquirer — k  Swedcnborg  is  very 
1  voluminous,  but  that  is  not  his  worst  fault."  In  a  letter 
addressed  to  his  neighbour,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hartley,  Rector 
of  Winwick,  Northamptonshire,  we  find  him  raging  against 
Swcdenborg  in  a  very  distressing  manner.  After  reciting 
some  of  Swedenborg's  opinions  he  goes  on  to  say — 

1  Xow  can  any  man  of  erudition  and  in  his  right  senses 
L  adopt  such  meaningless  stuff  for  Divine  revelation,  or  judge 
1  of  it  as  other  than  the  profusions  of  a  distempered  brain "?  .  .  . 
4  Neither  is  it  sustained  by  one  single  argument  or  proof,  but 
1  is  to  be  received,  however  absurd,  unintcllcctual.  and  where 
c  intelligible  inconsistent,  because  of  the  ipse  dixit  of  a  flint  ■stir 
1  Mincralist,  who  has  betrayed  through  all  his  works  a  notorious 
1  ignorance  of  both  the  diction  and  doeuments  of  theology. 


NO  MARKET  FOR  THE  c  ARCANA  CCELESTIA.' 


321 


4  Interspersed  with  his  doctrines  we  find  many  false  distinc- 
4  tions,  Socinian  tenets,  deistical  reasonings,  and  mystical 
4  whims.  These,  however,  are  generally  so  feebly  enforced  as 
4  to  betray,  not  only  an  ntter  ignorance  of  Christianity,  but  a 

4  disordered  intellect  A  philosopher  and  novice  in  the 

4  revealed  Word,  when  turned  enthusiast,  is  of  all  men  the  most 
4  liable  to  heresy }  but  the  enormities  of  this  Baron's  deliriums 
4  argue  both  the  most  abject  illiterature  with  most  prodigious 
4  blindness  and  infatuation.'* 

Such  bitter  and  intemperate  writing  almost  justifies  Wes- 
ley's dictum  concerning  Law — 4  He  was  a  godly  man,  but 
4  those  who  dared  to  resist  the  least  of  his  opinions,  he  trod 
4  as  dirt  under  his  feet.' 

Dr.  Arnold  has  called  the  18th  Century  the  seed-time  of 
Modern  Europe.  Swedenborg  was  one  of  the  sowers  under 
its  drear  sky,  and  he  fain  would  have  been  a  reaper ;  but  the 
long  long  weary  years  which  must  needs  intervene  ere  the 
seeds  scattered  broadcast  from  his  hands  should  germinate 
were,  mercifully  perhaps,  hidden  from  him.  Any  one  who 
knows  the  4  Arcana  Ccelestia '  and  has  a  fair  conception  of 
the  state  of  the  Mind  of  the  World  in  the  middle  of  last 
Century  must  smile  at  the  idea  of  such  a  work  being  offered 
in  such  a  market  with  any  hope  of  sale.  As  Carlyle  says  of 
Frederick  the  Great  so  we  may  of  Swedenborg — 

4  He  lived  in  a  Century  which  has  no  history  and  can  have 
4  little  or  none.  A  Century  so  opulent  in  accumulated  falsities,— 
4  sad  opulence  descending  on  it  by  inheritance,  always  at  com- 
4  pound  interest,  and  always  largely  increased  by  fresh  acquire- 


*  These  facts  concerning  Swedenborg  and  Law  are  derived  from  a  very- 
curious  book  by  Mr.  Christopher  Walton,  Watchmaker,  Ludgate  Hill,  Lon- 
don, published  in  1854,  and  entitled  '  Notes  and  Materials  for  an  Adequate 
1  Biography  of  William  Law.1  See  pages  592,  597,  and  158.  There  is  a 
second  letter  about  Swedenborg  quoted  by  Mr.  Walton  and  supposed  to  be 
Law's,  but  it  is  evidently  by  another  hand  and  written  some  years  subsequent 
to  Swedenborg's  death  in  1772,  and  consequently  to  Law's,  which  took  place 
in  1761. 

Y 


322 


COMMON-SENSE. 


L  ment  on  such  immensity  of  standing  capital ; — opulent  in  that 

4  bad  way  as  never  Century  before  was !  Which  had  no  longer 
1  the  consciousness  of  being  false,  so  false  had  it  grown ;  and 
4  was  so  steeped  in  falsity,  and  impregnated  with  it  to  the 
4  very  bone,  that — in  fact  the  measure  of  the  thing  was  full, 
1  and  a  French  Revolution  had  to  end  it.'* 

The  ''Arcana  Ccclestia'  was  completed  in  1756,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  1757  Oliver  Goldsmith  was  serving  as  usher  in 
Dr.  Milner's  school  at  Peckhain.  One  day  Miss  Hester  Mflnef 
asked  Mr.  Goldsmith  what  particular  commentator  on  the 
Scriptures  he  would  recommend.  After  a  pause  the  usher 
replied,  with  much  earnestness,  that  in  his  belief  Common- 
Sense  was  the  best  interpreter  of  the  Sacred  Writings. f 

Goldsmith  answered  wisely.  We  now  pass  on  to  a  review 
of  the  L  Arcana  Coelcstiaf  a  scriptural  commentary,  and  would 
ask  the  reader  to  accompany  us  as  far  as  possible  witli  his 
Common-Sense.  The  response  which  Swedenborg  anxiously 
and  vainly  looked  for  from  the  Learning  of  his  century  he 
sometimes  found  in  simple  Common-Sense.  When  writing 
on  the  Apocalypse,  with  his  mind  full  of  his  subject,  he 
came  to  an  inn  and  poured  out  his  thoughts  to  the  good 
wife,  Tisula  Bodama  her  name.  *  She  was  a  person,'  he  says, 
£  of  simple-hearted  faith.  She  understood  clearly  all  T  said ; 
4  but  there  was  a  learned  man  present  who  did  not  under- 
1  stand,  nay,  could  not  understand.  So  the  case  is  with  many 
i  other  things.' J 

It  would  have  been  for  Swedenborg's  help  and  happiness 
had  he  taken  hint  and  counsel  from  this  experience  ;  but,  as 
we  shall  see,  he  lived  to  the  end,  hankering  after  recognition 
from  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  from  authorities  civil  and 


*  1  Frederick  the  Great,1  Vol.  I.,  page  10. 
f  Forstei's  '  Goldsmith,'  Vol.  I.,  page  83. 
|  •  Sjnriduil  Diary,'  No.  5,997. 


COMMON-PERCEPTION. 


ecclesiastical.  Yet  no  one,  theoretically,  knew  better  the  reason 
of  the  Divine  choice  of  fishermen  for  Apostles,  in  the  capacity 
possessed  by  simple  Common-Sense  for  the  reception  of  the 
profoundest  spiritual  truths — a  capacity,  which  scholastic 
pursuits  not  unfrequently  seriously  injures.  Common-Sense 
he  glorified  under  the  title  of  Common-Perception,  saying — 

4  Who  does  not  know  from  Common-Perception,  that  a 
4  man  who  leads  a  good  life  is  saved,  and  that  a  man  who  leads 
4  a  wicked  one  is  condemned?  also,  that  a  man  who  leads  a 
4  good  life,  at  death  enters  the  society  of  Angels,  and  there 
4  hears,  sees  and  speaks  like  a  man  ?  also,  that  he  who  does 
4  what  is  just  from  justice  has  Conscience  ? 

4  If,  however,  he  departs  from  Common-Perception  and 
4  begins  to  reason,  then  he  does  not  know  what  Conscience  is ; 
4  or,  that  the  Soul  can  see,  hear  and  speak  like  a  man ;  or,  that 

4  goodness  of  life  is  any  more  than  giving  to  the  poor  

4  Hence  many  of  the  Learned  who  have  thought  much,  and 
1  especially,  who  have  written  much,  have  weakened  and 
4  obscured  their  Common-Perception,  yea,  have  destroyed  it ; 
4  hence  the  simple  see  more  clearly  what  is  good  and  true, 
4  than  those  who  think  themselves  wise. 

4  This  Common-Perception  comes  by  influx  from  Heaven. 
4  .  .  .  .  That  this  is  the  case  you  may  know  by  experience. 
4  Tell  any  one  who  is  in  Common-Perception  some  truth,  and 
4  he  will  see  it.  Tell  him,  that  we  are,  live,  and  move  from 
4  God,  and  in  God,  and  he  will  see  it.  Tell  him,  that  God 
4  dwells  in  love  and  wisdom  in  man,  and  he  will  see  it.  Tell 
4  him  moreover,  that  the  Will  is  the  receptacle  of  love,  and  the 
4  Understanding  of  wisdom,  and  explain  it  a  little,  and  he  will 
4  see  it.  Tell  him,  that  God  is  Love  itself  and  Wisdom  itself, 
4  and  he  will  see  it.  Ask  him  what  Conscience  is,  and  he  will 
4  tell  you. 

4  Say  the  same  things  to  one  of  the  Learned,  who  does  not 
4  think  from  Common-Perception,  but  from  principles  and 
4  notions,  and  he  will  not  see  them. 

Y  2 


324  COMMON-SENSE. 

*  Consider  afterwards,  "Which  is  the  wiser  ?* 


*  '  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,1  No.  301. 

1  The  old  Anaximenes,  seeking,  I  suppose,  for  a  source  sufficiently  diffusive, 
4  said,  that  Mind  must  be  M  the  air,  which,  when  all  men  breathed,  they  were 
4  filled  with  one  intelligence.  And  when  men  have  larger  measures  of  reason, 
4  as  JEsop,  Cervantes,  Franklin.  Scott,  they  gain  in  universality,  or  are  no 
4  longer  confined  to  a  few  associates,  but  are  good  company  for  all  persons, — 
4  philosophers,  women,  men  of  fashion,  tradesmen,  and  servants.  Indeed,  an 
4  older  philosopher  than  Anaximenes,  namely,  Language  itself,  had  taught  to 
4  distinguish  superior  or  purer  sense  as  Common  Seme.1  R.  W.  Emerson  in 
4  Memoirs  of  Margaret  Fuller  Ossoli,'  Vol.  L,  page  289. 


(  325 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  1  AKCANA  CCELESTIA.'* 


Eight  volumes  quarto  on  Genesis  and  Exodus  make  certainly 
an  alarming  appearance,  but  such  is  the  4  Arcana  Ccelestia.'' 
The  purpose  of  the  work  is  the  exposition  of  the  Inner 
Meaning,  or  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  sacred  text,  and  verse  by 
verse,  word  by  word  is  methodically  taken  up,  and  each  cir- 
cumstance assigned  to  some  origin  in  the  Human  Mind,  and 
thence  in  God.  As  is  natural  and  allowable  in  a  commentator, 
Swedenborg  breaks  perpetually  into  short  and  long  digressions 
illustrative  of  his  text,  and  deals  with  a  numberless  variety 
of  questions  in  spiritual  science.  The  bulk  of  his  work  is 
greatly  increased  by  the  insertion,  between  each  chapter,  of 
papers  descriptive  of  his  own  angelic  and  diabolic  experiences, 
of  the  constitution  of  Heaven,  the  World  of  Spirits,  and  Hell, 
and  of  the  Theology  of  the  Angels.  The  whole  is  written  in 
his  customary  diffuse  style  and  with  wearisome  repetitions. 
As  was  his  practice  he  numbered  his  paragraphs  in  the  i  Arcana 
4  Coelestia)"1  there  are  10,837;  some  consisting  of  a  few  lines, 
and  others  of  several  pages :  and  like  the  chapters  and  verses 
of  the  Bible  they  prove  very  convenient  for  reference. 


*  'Arcana  Ccelestia  quce  in  Scriptura  Sacra,  seu  Verbo  Domini  sunt  detecta: 
1  Hie  Primum  quce  in  Genesi.  Una  cum  Mirabilihus  quaz  visa  sunt  in  Mundo 
1  Spirituum,  et  in  Casio  Angelorum.1  Pars  I.,  1749.  Pars  II.,  1750.  Pars 
III.,  1751.    Pars  IV.,  1752.    Pars  V.,  1753. 

'  Arcana  Cartestia  quae  in  Scriptura  Sacra,  seu  Verbo  Domini  sunt  detecta : 
4  Hie  quce  in  Exodo,'  &c.    Pars  I.,  1753,    Pars  II.,  1754.    Pars  III.,  1756. 

In  all  eight  quarto  volumes,  London,  1749-56. 


326 


GENESIS  I.  TO  XI.  ALLEGORICAL* 


Swedenborg  published  many  works  subsequent  to  the 
1  Arcana  Codestia]  but  there  is  little  of  value  in  them  which 
may  not  be  found  diffused  over  its  multitudinous  pages :  indeed 
several  are  no  more  than  reprints,  abstracts  and  compilations 
from  its  abundance.  An  extensive  review  of  the  4  Arcana  1 
might  therefore  serve  as  a  compendious  notice  of  Swcden- 
borgian  Philosophy,  but  the  comfort  of  the  reader  will  be  best 
provided  for,  if  instead  of  dealing  with  so  vast  a  matter  in 
a  single  block,  we  break  it  into  fragments  by  describing 
Swedenborg\s  various  publications  in  the  order  of  their  appear- 
ance ;  and  by  confining  our  attention  in  the  present  article  to 
the  speciality  of  the  1  Arcana  CcelestiaJ  namely,  to  its  doctrine 
of  Human  History,  and  particularly  of  Jewish  Histoiy. 

The  Book  of  Genesis  from  its  beginning  to  the  call  of 
Abram,  chapters  I.  to  XL,  says  Swedenborg,  was  not  written 
by  Moses,  but  is  a  fragment  of  an  older  Scripture  :  neither  are 
those  early  chapters  matter-of-fact  history,  but  compositions, 
in  the  form  of  history,  symbolical  of  things  celestial  and 
spiritual.    With  Abram  actual  history  begins. 

4  They  who  do  not  think  beyond  the  sense  of  the  letter, 
4  cannot  believe  otherwise,  than  that  the  Creation  described  in 
4  the  first  and  second  chapters  of  Genesis  means  the  Creation 
4  of  the  Universe ;  and,  that  within  six  days  Heaven  and 
4  Earth  and  Sea  and  all  things  therein,  and  Men  in  the  likeness 
4  of  God,  were  created :  but,  Who,  if  he  ponder  deeply,  cannot 
4  see,  that  the  Creation  of  the  Universe  is  not  there  meant  V 
4  Common-Sense  might  teach,  that  the  operations  there  de- 
4  scribed  were  impossible  :  as,  that  there  were  Days  and  Light 
4  and  Darkness,  and  green  Herbs  and  fruitful  Trees  before  the 
4  appearance  of  the  Sun  and  Moon.  Similar  difficulties  follow, 
4  which  are  scarcely  credited  by  any  one  who  thinks  interiorly  : 
4  as,  that  the  Woman  was  built  from  the  rib  of  the  Man ; 
4  that  two  trees  were  set  in  Paradise,  and  the  fruit  of  one 
'forbidden  to  be  eaten;  that  a  Serpent  discoursed  with  the 


MOST  ANCIENT  AND  ANCIENT  CHURCHES. 


•627 


1  Wife  of  the  Man,  who  was  the  wisest  of  mortals,  and  deceived 
k  them  both ;  and  that  the  universal  Human  Race  was  on  that 
4  account  condemned  to  Hell. 

c  Nevertheless  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  all  things  in  that  story, 
1  even  to  the  smallest  iota,  are  Divine,  and  contain  in  them 

•  arcana,  which  before  the  Angels  in  the  Heavens  are  manifest 
i  as  in  clear  day.'* 

In  these  eleven  allegorical  chapters  Swedenborg  discovers 
the  history  of  two  Dispensations.  The  first,  he  designates  the 
Most  Ancient  Church,  and  the  time  of  its  existence,  the  Golden 
Age ;  the  second  the  Ancient  Church,  and  the  time  of  its 
existence,  the  Silver  Age. 

The  rise  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church  he  finds  symbolized 
in  the  stoiy  of  Creation ;  its  culmination,  in  Adam  and  Eve 
in  Eden  ;  its  decline,  in  the  events  following  the  eating  of  the 
Tree  of  the  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil ;  and  its  destruction, 
in  the  Deluge. 

The  story  of  the  Ancient  Church  begins  with  Xoah  and  is 
continued  in  his  posterity ;  its  ruin  is  depicted  in  the  erection 
of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  the  confusion  of  the  tongues  of  its  builders 
and  their  '  scattering  abroad  upon  the  face  of  all  the  earth.' 

A  third  regime  commences  with  the  call  of  Abram,  at  which 
point  the  allegorical  style  of  narration  is  exchanged  for  the 
matter-of-fact. 

The  Most  Ancient  Church. 

The  curious  description  we  foimd  in  the  i  De  Cultu  et  Amore 
4  Dei '  of  the  Creation  of  the  Earth,  of  its  Flora  and  Fauna, 
and  of  Adam  and  Eve,  Swedenborg  does  not  repeat  in  the 

*  Arcana  Ccelestia.1  On  the  contrary,  he  assumes  the  existence 
of  a  rudimental  Human  Race  before  Adam,  but  for  how  many 
ages  and  in  what  numbers  he  says  nothing.  Of  the  condition 
of  this  Pre- Adamite  Race  he  merely  drops  the  remark,  '  that 


*  1  Arcana  Caslestia,'  No.  8,891. 


328 


MAN  OF  HIMSELF  IS  A  BEAST. 


4  they  lived  as  Beasts.'*  How  far  he  would  have  favoured  the 
conclusions  of  Darwin,  Lyell,  and  Huxley  we  cannot  know, 
but  there  is  nothing  in  the  4 Arcana  Ccelestia''  to  oppose  them. 
He  writes — 

4  Man  considered  in  himself  is  nothing'  but  a  Beast  |  he  has 
4  the  same  senses,  appetites,  desires  and  affections  in  every 
4  respect.  His  good,  yea  even  his  best  affections,  he  shares 
4  with  Animals:  as  for  example,  his  love  of  wife,  of  children, 
1  and  of  association  with  his  species — in  fact  there  is  no  real 
4  difference  between  them.  Man's  peculiarity  over  animals — 
4  a  peculiarity  they  neither  have,  nor  can  have — consists  in  the 
4  presence  of  the  Lord  in  his  Will  and  Understanding.  It  is 
4  in  consequence  of  this  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  that  Man 
4  lives  after  death ;  and  although  he  should  exist  like  a  Beast, 
4  caring  for  nothing  but  himself  and  his  relations,  yet  the 
4  Lord's  mercy  is  so  great,  being  Divine  and  Infinite,  that  He 
4  never  leaves  him,  but  continually  breathes  into  him  His  own 
4  life,  whereby  he  is  enabled  to  recognize  what  is  good  and 
4  evil  and  true  and  false. 

4  Thus  Man  is  only  Man  by  virtue  of  what  he  derives  from 
4  the  Lord ;  for  there  is  but  One  Man  and  He  is  Jehovah. 

4  In  the  Most  Ancient  Church  they  called  nothing  Man  but 
4  the  Lord  alone ;  and  they  reckoned  each  other  men,  just  in 
1  so  far  as  the  Lord  was  present  with  them.'f 

The  complete  identification  of  Humanity  with  God  is  a 
doctrine,  which  will  come  out  into  stronger  relief  as  we 
proceed.  In  true  Manhood  Swedenborg  saw  nothing  less 
than  the  manifest  Deity  ;  in  the  more  of  Manhood,  the  more 
of  God. 

From  this  primitive  stock — from  Creatures  kin  to  the 
Beasts — the  Church  called  Man,  or  Adam  was  gradually 
evolved.    The  Days  of  Creation  are  but  emblems  of  stages 


*  *  Arcana  GeeUttiaf  No.  286. 

t  'Arcana  Colcslw.'  No*.  711.  1,894,  19. 


THE  ADAMIC  CLANS. 


329 


in  the  process  whereby  from  an  animal  ground  a  people  were 
developed  into  the  image  and  likeness  of  God. 

The  Most  Ancient  Church  inhabited  the  Land  of  Canaan.* 
Of  the  years  of  its  continuance  and  its  population,  Swedenborg 
is  silent.  He  describes  them  as  a  simple  people,  dwelling  in 
tents — 

4  It  has  been  told  me  by  the  Angels  that  they  were  dis- 
4  tinguished  into  Houses.  Families  and  Tribes ;  a  Home 
4  consisting  of  the  husband  and  wife,  with  their  children  and 
1  domestic  servants  j  a  Family,  of  a  greater  or  lesser  number 
1  of  Houses ;  and  a  Tribe,  of  a  smaller  or  larger  number  of 
'  Families. 

4  The  reason  why  they  thus  dwelt  apart,  divided  into 
'  Houses,  Families  and  Tribes,  was,  that  by  this  means  the 
4  Church  might  be  conserved,  and  that  all  the  Houses  and 
4  Families  might  be  dependent  on  their  Parent,  and  thereby 
4  exist  in  love  and  true  worship.  It  is  to  be  remarked  also, 
4  that  each  House  had  a  character  distinct  from  every  other ; 
4  and  to  prevent  a  confusion  of  tempers  and  dispositions,  and 
4  to  maintain  the  individuality  of  each  Family  intact,  it  pleased 
4  the  Lord,  that  they  should  thus  abide  in  isolation.  For  the 
4  same  reason  the  Jewish  Church  was  distinguished  into  Houses, 
4  Families  and  Tribes,  and  each  Israelite  was  required  to 
4  contract  marriage  within  his  own  Family.  The  Kingdom 
4  of  Heaven  is  in  like  manner  divided  into  innumerable  Societies 
4  according  to  the  differences  of  love  and  faith  among  the 
4  Angels.'f 

For  the  possession  of  property  these  Most  Ancient  People 
had  no  desire ;  no  one  cared  for  what  he  could  not  use,  or 
sought  to  hoard  what  others  might.  Hence  violence  and  rob- 
bery were  unknown.  Their  gentleness  extended  to  Animals — 

4  They  never  on  any  account,  ate  the  flesh  of  beast  or  fowl, 


*  1  Arcana  Cadestia,'  Nos.  567,  3,686,  4,447,  4,454. 
t  1  Arcana  Oxkstia?  Nos.  470-71  and  6,117-18. 


330 


FACIAL  INTERCOURSE. 


4  but  fed  solely  on  grain,  especially  of  bread  made  of  wheat, 
1  on  fruits  and  herbs,  milk,  butter,  etc.  To  kill  Animals  and 
4  eat  their  flesh  was  to  them  unlawful  and  regarded  as  some- 
{ thing  bestial.'* 

Strange  to  tell,  their  intercourse  was  carried  on,  not  so 
much  by  words,  as  by  facial  movements,  1  by  innumerable 
1  variations  of  the  countenance  and  the  eyes,  but  chiefly  of  the 
c  lips ;  for  there  are  in  the  lips  innumerable  muscular  fibres, 
L  which  at  this  day  are  not  brought  into  play.  In  this  way 
1  they  were  able  to  communicate  their  ideas  so  perfectly,  that 
1  they  could  portray  in  a  single  minute  what  now  takes  an 
1  hour  to  utter  in  words,  and  more  fully  and  clearly  than  is 
1  possible  by  any  language. 

1  They  were  utterly  averse  to  assuming  looks  at  variance 
'  with  their  thoughts.  As  they  willed  nothing  but  good  they 
1  had  no  desire  to  hide  from  each  other  their  ends  and  intentions. 
'  Simulation,  and  much  more  deceit,  they  considered  an 
;  atrocious  crime ;  and  those,  who  were  discovered  expressing 
1  by  the  face  what  was  not  in  the  heart  were  rejected  from 
L  society  as  Devils.' f 

A  curious  reason  is  given  for  this  pantomimic  intercourse — 
1  It  will  perhaps  appear  incredible,  but  the  Man  of  the  Most 
4  Ancient  Church  had  internal  respiration,  and  none  perceptible 
1  externally  ;  wherefore  he  dealt  little  in  words.' \ 

Over  such  a  mystery  we  can  do  nothing  but  listen  to 
Swedenborg.    He  writes — 

1  The  nature  of  the  speech  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church 
1  was  shewn  me  by  a  kind  of  influx  I  cannot  describe.  It 
1  appeared,  that  it  was  not  articulate,  like  the  speech  of  our 
4  time,  but  tacit,  being  produced,  not  by  external  respiration, 
1  but  by  internal.    It  was  also  given  me  to  apperceive  the 


*  '  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  1,002. 

f  1  Arcana  CcdestiaJ  Noa.  607,  1,118,  and  3,573. 

X  '  Arcana  Ccelestia^  No.  GO 7. 


god's  will  was  adam's  will. 


331 


'  nature  of  their  internal  respiration :  it  proceeded  from  the 
1  navel  towards  the  heart,  and  thus  through  the  lips,  without 
1  anything  sonorous ;  and  it  did  not  enter  the  ear  of  another 
1  by  an  external  way,  and  strike  what  is  called  the  drum  of 
1  the  ear,  but  by  a  certain  way  within  the  mouth,  and  in  fact 
1  by  the  passage  called  the  Eustachian  tube.'* 

The  Most  Ancient  Church  had  no  written  Word.  Its 
members  spontaneously  loved  God  and  each  other,  and  their 
inclinations  being  then  accordant  with  the  Divine  Will,  they 
had  no  need  of  external  check  or  guidance.  1  The  law  was  in 
1  their  inward  parts  and  written  in  their  hearts.'  Moreover 
1  the  Lord  appeared  to  them  as  a  Man  and  conversed  face  to 
*  face.'  He  likewise  edified  them  by  means  of  delightful 
dreams  and  visions :  and  with  Angels  they  had  all  the  joy  of 
free  association.  The  wisdom  of  these  Ancients  is  by  us 
inconceivable : — 1  It  is  scarcely  possible  at  this  day  to  acquire 
L  a  thousandth  part  of  the  knowledge  they  possessed.'  They 
knew  and  welcomed  Truth  the  moment  it  was  presented  with- 
out hesitation  or  debate ;  in  the  same  manner  they  had  an 
instantaneous  perception  of  Falsehood,  which  they  repelled 
and  abhorred,  just  as  do  the  Angels.  Their  wondrous  keenness 
of  intelligence  was  an  effect  of  the  indwelling  of  the  Divine 
Goodness  in  their  hearts ;  for  Goodness,  as  has  been  observed, 
has  a  sure  and  invincible  affinity  for  Truth  and  as  utter  a 
repugnance  for  Untruth:  all  Keligions  in  one  form  or  other 
confess,  that  the  one  way  to  Eternal  Light  is  through  Righte- 
ousness and  the  one  way  to  Eternal  Darkness  is  through  Sin.f 

The  interest  felt  by  the  people  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church 
in  the  Physical  World  as  revealed  to  their  Senses  was  measured 
solely  by  its  use  as  the  continent  and  exponent  of  the  Inner 
World  of  Mind.    As  an  anxious  learner  disregards  the  type 


*  1  Arcana  Ccelestia,1  No.  1,118. 

f  'Arcana  CcelestiaJ  Nos.  49,  125,  597,  784,  895,  1,121,  2,896,  4,454,  and 
10,355. 


332 


ADAM  SAW  THROUGH  THE  WORLD. 


and  words  of  a  book  in  his  passion  for  ideas,  bo  the  Adamic 
People  were  careless  about  things  seen  save  for  their  symbolism 
of  things  unseen.  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  referring  to  Hobbes, 
says — 4  The  severe  school  shall  never  laugh  me  out  of  the 
4  philosophy  of  Hermes — that  this  Visible  World  is  a  picture 
4  of  the  Invisible,  wherein,  as  in  a  portrait,  things  are  not  truly, 
4  but  in  equivocal  shapes,  and  as  they  counterfeit  some  real 
4  substances  in  that  Invisible  Fabric." *  With  the  Adamites  this 
was  not  a  philosophy  but  a  practice ;  they  did  not  discuss  the 
symbolism  of  Xature,  for  they  saw  through  it.  Nature  was  an 
open  book  in  which  they  read  the  secrets  of  the  Divine  Wisdom 
with  equal  ease  and  delight.    Thus  writes  Swedenborg — 

4  When  they  gazed  on  a  high  Mountain,  they  were  im- 
4  pressed  with  no  idea  of  a  Mountain,  but  with  a  sense  of 
4  height ;  from  which  they  derived  a  perception  of  Heaven 
4  and  the  Lord :  hence  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  was  said 
4  to  dwell  on  high,  and  was  called  the  Highest,  and  in  later 
4  times  His  worship  was  solemnized  on  high  places.  At 
4  Sunrise,  they  had  no  thought  of  the  new  day,  but  of  the 
4  Lord's  dawning  in  the  Mind :  hence  He  was  called  the 
4  Morning,  the  East,  and  the  Day-spring.  So  likewise  when 
4  they  beheld  a  fruitful  Tree,  they  gave  little  heed  to  the  Tree, 
4  but  saw  in  it  the  figure'of  a  Man  ;  in  the  Fruit  his  Love  and 
4  in  the  Leaves  his  Faith.' f 

Thus  dwelling  in  the  constant  acknowledgement  of  the 
Divine  Presence  it  will  excite  no  surprise  to  leara,  that  the 
Most  Ancient  Church  practised  no  ceremonial  worship.  {  The 
will  of  its  members  was  the  Lord's  Will,  and  their  wisdom  His 
Wisdom ;  their  every  thought  and  deed  sprang  from  Him ; 
their  existence  was  a  perpetual  song  to  His  praise ;  in  them 
He  rested  as  in  a  finished  work,  and  they  in  Him  found  their 


*  1  BeUgio  Medici  J1 

f  1  Arcana  Ccekstia,'  Nos.  920,  1,122,  and  1,409. 
X  1  Arcana  CaUstia:  Nos.  4,493  and  10,295. 


MAN  IS  MAN  BECAUSE  GOD  IS  MAN.  333 

Sabbath.  The  purpose  of  rites  of  worship  is  to  open  and 
revive  the  feeling  of  God,  but  where,  as  in  their  case,  that 
feeling  is  habitual,  rites  are  useless  as  candles  in  sunshine. 

The  Fall  of  the  Church  from  this  happ y  state  began  in  pride 
— pride  the  mother  evil  of  human  nature,  the  source  of  all  its 
sorrows. 

It  has  been  observed,  that  the  Lord  being  the  Only  Man, 
the  Adamites  regarded  any  manliness  in  themselves  as  the 
shining  of  the  Lord  through  them ;  that  the  proportion  of  their 
manhood  was  the  proportion  of  the  Divine  manifestation ;  that, 
as  there  is  no  life  but  God,  all  must  live  from  Him ;  that 
intrinsically  we  are  void  of  life,  and  only  come  into  being  as 
God  communicates  Himself  to  us  ;  and,  that  the  Lord  by  the 
gift  of  His  presence  raises  an  Animal  into  a  Man,  and  by  His 
further  entrance  conforms  him  more  and  more  to  His  own 
image  and  likeness. 

When  these  statements  are  first  heard,  they  seem  to  nullify 
human  independence,  and  to  reduce  Humanity  to  a  mere 
vesture  of  Deity ;  but  ere  that  conclusion  is  admitted,  Sweden- 
borg  intervenes  with  a  most  important  consideration,  whereby 
he  assumes  to  explain  the  mystery  of  the  Fall  and  the  Origin 
of  Evil. 

He  asserts,  that  with  the  communication  of  Himself  to  Man, 
God  communicates  self-consciousness,  rationality,  liberty.  As 
we  are  Men  because  God  is  Man,  so  are  we  self-conscious 
because  God  is  self-conscious,  rational  because  He  is  rational, 
free  because  He  is  free.  God  by  the  influx  of  His  life  bears 
all  these  consequences  into  His  subjects.  He  lives  in  Himself 
of  Himself,  and  in  giving  Himself  to  us,  He  gives  us  to  feel, 
that  we  too  live  in  ourselves  of  ourselves. 

Thus  he  derives  all  Human  Personality,  Self-Consciousness, 
Rationality  and  Liberty  from  the  Divine — 

1  Man  has  Rationality  and  Liberty  from  the  Lord,  and  by 
L  virtue  thereof  enjoys  the  appearance  of  thinking,  speaking, 
1  willing  and  acting  as  from  himself. 


334  .SENSATION  THE  INVERSION  OF  REALITY. 


4  The  Lord  resides  in  those  faculties  in  every  Man  causing 
4  him  to  appear  to  think,  speak,  will  and  act  as  of  himself. 

4  Every  Angel  has  Liberty  and  Rationality ;  but  they  are 
4  not  his  own  but  the  Lord's  in  him.  They  appear  to  belong 
4  to  him,  or  to  be  his  own  j  they  give  him  the  power  to  think 
4  and  will,  and  to  speak  and  act  altogether  as  from  himself. 

4  It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  both  Liberty  and  Rationality 
4  are  not  Man's  but  the  Lord's  in  Man,  and  that  they  cannot 
4  be  appropriated  to  Man  as  his  own,  nor  given  to  Man  as  his 
4  own,  but  are  continually  the  Lord's  in  him,  and  are  never 
4  taken  away  from  him.'* 

Further  he  teaches,  that  in  the  degree  the  Lord  is  received 
and  manifested  in  His  creatures,  or  in  other  words,  as  they  rise 
in  the  scale  of  being,  in  the  same  degree  their  feeling  of 
independence  increases,  and  with  it  the  distinct  acknowledge- 
ment, that  the  feeling  of  independence  is  an  inversion  of  the 
realitv.  None  feel  so  free  as  the  Celestial  Angels,  none  enjoy 
a  more  vivid  sense  of  self-derived  and  exuberant  life,  yet  none 
knoiv  so  well,  that  without  the  Lord  they  are  nothing.  Pride 
is  impossible  and  humility  guaranteed  in  the  light  of  this  ever- 
present  knowledge. 

Swedenborg  under  this  doctrine  presents  to  us  the  Man  of 
the  Most  Ancient  Church  confessing,  that  all  his  virtue  was 
Divine,  jet  feeling,  that  it  was  his  own.  The  Lord's  inde- 
pendence was  felt  by  Adam  as  his  own,  but  instructed  by 
Revelation  he  knew  the  feeling  was  an  illusion,  and  that  he 
owed  his  being  at  every  instant  to  the  presence  of  God. 

The  seduction  of  the  Adamic  Church  from  integrity  began 
in  the  preference  of  Sense  to  Revelation.  F>  t  ling,  that  they 
lived  of  themselves,  they  proceeded  to  confound  sensation  with 
realitv.  In  the  pride  of  the  persuasion  of  their  independence, 
degradation  at  once  ensued,  and  from  one  error  the  Adamites 


*  'Divine  Love  and  Wudomj  Nos.  116,  264,  and  425,  and  'Divine 
'  Providence,'  No.  97. 


SENSATION  PREFERRED  TO  REVELATION.  335 

ran  on  to  others  until  they  reached  the  dreadful  but  logical 
conclusion,  that  they  were  gods,  that  whatever  they  thought 
was  divine,  and  that  beyond  themselves  there  was  no  God.* 
Such,  teaches  Swedenborg,  is  the  truth  hidden  under  the 
allegory  of  the  expulsion  of  Adam  and  Eve  from  Paradise. 
The  Serpent  that  beguiled  Eve  was  Sensation  ;  Eve  represents 
Affection  taken  captive  by  the  alluring  promise,  "  Ye  shall 
"  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil;"  and  Adam  is  the  type 
of  the  Understanding,  in  turn  seduced  by  Desire. 

The  degradation  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church  was  not 
sudden  but  gradual,  and  was  effected  in  a  long  series  of 
generations.  As  in  the  case  of  all  heresy  it  diffused  itself 
from  a  few  to  many,  meeting  with  temporary  but  ineffectual 
resistance  from  the  faithful.  Under  the  symbol  of  the  murder 
of  Abel  by  Cain  and  the  subsequent  events  and  genealogies 
the  story  of  the  Fall  is  pursued  until  the  consummation  is 
reached  in  the  Deluge,  when  it  is  said,  1  God  saw  that  the 
1  wickedness  of  Man  was  great  in  the  Earth,  and  that  every 
i  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  con- 
1  tinually ;  and  it  repented  the  Lord,  that  He  had  made  Man 
4  on  the  Earth,  and  it  grieved  Him  at  His  heart ;  and  He  said, 
4 1 1  will  destroy  Man  whom  I  have  created  from  the  face  of 
1  1  the  Earth."  ' 

Concerning  the  factitious  character  of  the  genealogies  given 
in  Genesis  between  Adam  and  Xoah,  Swedenborg  observes — 

4  It  was  customary  with  the  Most  Ancient  People  to  cast 
L  History  into  the  form  of  Genealogies ;  for  whatever  has 

*  relation  to  the  Church  may  be  considered  in  that  light,  since 
1  one  faith  is  conceived  and  bora  of  another  in  a  mode,  which 
1  bears  a  close  analogy  to  generation.  Hence  it  is  common  in 
1  the  Word  to  speak  of  developements  in  the  Church  under 

*  the  figures  of  conceptions,  births,  offspring,  infants,  children. 


«  1  Arcana  Ccdestia:  Nos.  562.  808,  and  1,268. 


336 


THE  ADAMITES  CHOKED. 


4  sons,  daughters,  young  men,  etc.  The  Prophets  abound  in 
4  such  expressions.'* 

In  Cain,  Abel,  Enoch,  Seth,  Enos,  Methuselah,  Lamech, 
he  therefore  asks  us  not  to  think  of  individuals,  but  of  condi- 
tions and  pauses  in  the  decline  of  the  Adamic  Church. 

He  describes  the  destruction  of  the  degenerate  Adamites 
as  a  result  of  the  derangement  of  their  curious  respiration — 

4  Internal  Respiration  by  degrees  ceased,  and  with  those 
4  whose  minds  were  a  prey  to  direful  phantasies,  it  became  so 
4  changed,  that  they  were  no  longer  capable  of  expressing 
4  any  but  the  most  deformed  ideas. 

'  It  was  shewn  me,  that  the  Internal  Respiration,  which 
4  proceeded  from  the  navel  towards  the  interior  region  of  the 
1  breast,  retired  towards  the  region  of  the  back  and  towards 
4  the  abdomen,  thus  outwards  and  downwards.  Immediately 
4  before  the  Flood  scarce  any  Internal  Respiration  existed.  At 
1  last  it  was  annihilated  in  the  breast,  and  its  subjects  were 
1  choked  or  suffocated.  In  those  who  survived  External  Respi- 
4  ration  was  opened. 

4  With  the  cessation  of  Internal  Respiration  immediate 
4  intercourse  with  Angels,  and  the  instant  and  instinctive  per- 
4  ception  of  Truth  and  Falsehood  were  lost.'t 

Swedenborg  tells  us,  he  visited  the  Hells  of  the  Antedilu- 
vians who  thus  perished — 4  under  safe  guard  and  conduct  so 
4  that  they  could  not  do  me  the  least  harm. 

4  They  are  covered  with  a  misty  rock — an  effect  from  their 
4  direful  phantasies  and  persuasions — and  by  it  are  separated 
4  from  the  rest  of  the  Hells,  and  kept  out  of  the  World  of 
4  Spirits.  They  are  continually  trying  to  escape,  but  are 
4  withheld,  for  they  are  of  such  a  character,  that  their  influence 
1  affects  those  they  encounter  with  a  stupor,  which  leaves  them 
4  uncertain  whether  they  are  dead  or  alive.    Unless  the  Lord 


*  'Arcana  Cceiestia:  Nos.  339  and  3,240. 
t    Arraua  CcclettutS  Nos.  607  and  1.120. 


DEVILISH  ANTEDILUVIANS. 


337 


1  by  His  coming  into  the  flesh  had  freed  the  World  of  Spirits 
4  from  the  wicked  Antediluvian  Crew,  Mankind  must  have 
4  perished ;  for  no  Spirit  could  have  remained  with  Man,  and 
4  jet  Man  cannot  live  a  single  moment  unless  Spirits  and 
4  Angels  be  associated  with  him. 

4  Their  highest  delight  is  to  hold  one  another  in  subjection, 
4  and  as  it  were  to  murder.  They  are  possessed  with  an  un- 
4  governable  passion  for  destruction,  and  this  is  what  makes 
4  them  burn  to  escape. 

4  When  I  approached  the  rock  under  which  they  are  hid,  I 
4  felt  very  cold  in  the  lower  part  of  my  back.  I  talked  with 
4  them  about  their  persuasions,  and  asked  what  they  believed 
4  concerning  the  Lord  during  their  life  on  earth.  They  said, 
4  they  had  thought  much  about  God,  but  came  to  the  con- 
4  elusion,  that  He  had  no  existence,  and  that  themselves  were 
4  gods ;  and  that  they  had  confirmed  themselves  in  such  ideas 
4  by  dreams.7  * 

Here  are  a  few  particulars  about  another  set  of  the  same 
race — 

4  Some  of  those  who  survived  the  Flood  were  with  me. 
4  At  first  I  felt  their  presence  as  gentle,  but  it  was  given  me 
4  to  know,  that  they  were  inwardly  wicked.  They  exhaled  a 
4  sphere  like  that  of  a  corpse,  so  that  the  Spirits  who  were 
4  with  me  fled  away.  They  thought  themselves  so  subtle, 
4  that  no  one  could  perceive  what  they  thought.  I  discoursed 
4  with  them  about  the  Lord,  asking  them  whether  they  ex- 
4  pected  Him  as  their  fathers  did.  They  replied,  that  they 
4  represented  the  Lord  to  themselves  as  an  old  man  with 
4  a  grey  beard  who  was  holy,  and  that  by  connection  with 
4  Him  they  should  become  holy  and  bearded  likewise.  Hence 
4  arose  the  superstitious  notions  about  beards,  which  prevailed 
4  amongst  their  posterity.    An  Angel  approaching  at  this 


*  Arcana  GdestiaJ  Nos.  311  and  1.265-72. 

Z 


338 


G  GOD  A  NTEDILU  V I A  N  S . 


1  jiioinent,  they  were  unable  to  endure  his  presence,  and  tliev 
4  passed  away.'  * 

Of  some  of  the  better  sort  he  says — 

4  I  have  conversed  with  the  third  generation  of  the  Most 
4  Ancient  Church.  They  said,  that  during  their  abode  in  the 
4  world,  they  expected  the  Lord  to  come  and  save  the  whole 
4  Human  Race ;  and  that  it  was  a  proverb  among  them,  that 
4  the  Seed  of  the  Woman  should  trample  on  the  Serpent's 
4  Head.  For  this  reason,  it  was  their  chiefest  joy  to  have 
4  children :  they  loved  their  married  partners  for  the  sake  of 
4  offspring,  and  set  the  pleasures  of  wedlock  above  all  others. 

4  I  was  permitted  to  see  the  habitations  in  Heaven  of  those 
4  who  belonged  to  the  second  and  third  posterity  of  this  Most 
4  Ancient  Church.  They  are  very  magnificent,  extending  to 
4  a  great  length,  and  variegated  with  beautiful  colours,  such  as 
4  purple  and  blue.'  f 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church  its  members 
were  removed  to  Heaven,  preserving  intact  the  relationships 
of  Earth — 

4 1  have  been  informed  by  the  Angels,  that  those  who  lived 
4  in  the  most  ancient  times,  live  at  this  day  in  the  Heavens,  in 
4  separate  Houses,  Families  and  Nations,  as  they  had  lived  on 
4  Earth,  and  that  scarce  any  one  of  a  House  is  wanting.' J 

The  Ancient  Church. 

The  Deluge  was  not  a  flood  of  waters,  but  the  climax  of 
that  infernal  delusion  whereby  the  Serpent  seduced  Eve  and 
Eve  Adam  ;  nor  was  the  havoc  of  the  Flood  universal,  but 
confined  strictly  to  that  portion  of  the  race  which  composed 
the  Most  Ancient  Church.  It  is  true  that  in  Genesis  the 
Deluge  is  described  as  4  destroying  every  living  thing  which 


*  * Arcana  Cakstia'  No.  1.124. 

t  'Arcana  Cakstia,'  Nos.  1,123  and  1,116. 

+  •  De  Ainore  Conjuaiali,1  No.  2<»o. 


THE  ANCIENT  CHURCH. 


339 


4  was  upon  the  face  of  the  ground,  both  men  and  cattle, 
4  creeping  things  and  fowl  of  heaven,'  but  says  Swedenborg, 
4  the  Earth  does  not  there  mean  the  whole  habitable  globe,  but 
4  only  those  who  were  of  the  Church.1* 

In  the  course  of  the  decline  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church 
provision  was  made  for  the  institution  of  a  new  Church.  The 
Adamites  in  their  prime  had  no  systematic  theology;  seeing 
in  Humanity  and  in  Nature  the  Divine  Manifestation,  they 
had  no  need  to  register  truth  in  documents;  but  as  with 
the  loss  of  innocence,  their  instant  and  mstinctive  perception 
of  truth  became  impaired,  some  attempted  to  replace  im- 
mediate revelation  by  the  memory  of  what  had  been  seen.\ 
4  The  first  who  thus  transferred  truth  from  percejrtion  to 
4  record  was  the  generation  of  Cain ;  afterwards  what  Cain 
4  collected  was  reduced  to  doctrine  by  Enoch  ;  but  as  the 
4  doctrine  was  of  no  use  at  that  time,  and  was  only  intended 
4  for  posterity,  therefore  it  is  written,  4  Enoch  was  not,  for 
4  4  God  took  him.'  'J  By  means  of  Cain  and  Enoch  a  series 
of  Sacred  Scriptures  were  provided  for  the  use  of  the  future 
Church. 

These  Scriptures  are  described  by  Swedenborg  as  forming 
an  Ancient  Word  consisting  of  History  and  Prophecies.  The 
History  was  called  4  The  Wars  of  Jehovah,'  and  the  Prophecies 
4  The  Enunciations.''    Our  Author  writes — 

4  Concerning  this  Ancient  Word,  which  existed  in  Asia 
4  before  the  Israelitish  Word,  it  is  worth  while  to  mention, 


*  'Arcana  Ccdestia,'  No.  662. 

f  '  It  is  a  very  different  thing  to  know  what  is  good  and  true  hy  Percep- 
'  tion,  and  to  learn  it  by  means  of  Doctrine.  They  who  know  by  Perception 
1  are  in  no  need  of  the  knowledge  acquired  in  the  way  of  systematized  Doc- 
1  trines,  any  more  than  he  who  can  think  correctly  has  occasion  to  be  taught 
'  by  the  rules  of  art,  by  which  indeed  his  thinking  faculty  would  be  impaired, 
'  like  that  of  those  who  obscure  their  intellect  with  the  dust  of  the  Schools.' — 
1  Arcana  Cartestia?  No.  521. 

X  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  609. 

z  2 


340 


PRIMITIVE  SCRIPTURES. 


4  that  it  is  still  preserved  among  the  inhabitants  of  Great 
1  Tartary.  I  have  conversed  with  Spirits  and  Angels,  who 
'  came  from  Tartary,  who  said  they  possess  a  Word,  and 
1  have  possessed  it  from  Ancient  Times ;  that  their  worship  is 
1  governed  by  it,  and  that  it  consists  of  mere  correspondences : 
c  they  said,  that  it  contains  4  The  Booh  of  JasherJ*  and  1  The 
1  4  Wars  of  Jehovah,  and  '  The  Enunciations.'^  When  I  read 
1  to  them  the  words  quoted  from  thence  by  Moses,  they 
1  examined  whether  they  were  extant  in  their  Word,  and 
'  they  found  them  :  from  which  circumstance  it  La  very  clear 
L  to  me,  that  the  Old  Word  is  still  in  existence  amongst  them. 
1  In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  they  said  that  they  wor- 
1  ship  Jehovah ;  some  as  an  invisible,  and  some  as  a  visible 
4  God.  Moreover,  they  relate,  that  they  do  not  suffer  foreigners 
1  to  come  among  them,  except  the  Chinese,  with  whom  they 
4  cultivate  peace,  because  the  Emperor  of  China  is  from  their 
1  country \  and  further,  that  they  are  so  populous,  that  they 
1  do  not  believe  any  country  in  the  world  is  more  so ;  which  is 
L  very  credible,  from  the  wall  so  many  miles  long,  which  the 
i  Chinese  formerly  built  as  a  defence  against  their  invasions. 

1  Seek  for  the  Ancient  Word  in  China,  and  peradventure 
1  you  may  find  it  there  among  the  Tartars.' | 


*  Mentioned  in  Joshua  x.  12,  13,  and  2  Samuel  i.  17, 18. 
f  Mentioned  by  Moses  in  Numbers  xxi.  14,  15,  and  27-30. 

t  'Apocalypse  Revealed,'  No.  11  ;  'Sacred  Scripture,'  Nos.  101-103;  and 
'Arcana  Cozlestia;  Nos.  2,686  and  2,804-2,898. 

This  curious  statement  he  repeats  in  the  last  work  he  published,  the 
'Vera  Christiana  Bcligio,'  in  1772,  saying — 

'  I  am  at  liberty  to  state,  that  the  Ancient  Word  which  was  in  Asia  before 
1  the  Israelitish  Word  is  still  preserved  among  the  people  of  Great  Tartary. 

'  I  have  been  further  informed  by  the  Angels  that  the  first  chapters  of 
1  Genesis,  which  treat  of  the  Creation,  of  Adam  and  Eve,  of  the  Garden  of 
'  Eden,  and  of  their  children  and  posterity  to  the  Flood,  are  contained  in  that 
'  Word,  and  were  copied  from  it  by  Moses. 

1  The  Angels  likewise  said,  that  that  Word  is  still  preserved  in  Heaven, 


THE  PEOPLE  CALLED  NOAH. 


341 


The  inheritors  of  these  primeval  Scriptures,  and  their 
bearers  to  the  outlying  World  were  the  small  remnant  of  the 
Most  Ancient  Church  which  escaped  the  Deluge,  and  were 
described  as  Noah.  Their  character  and  fewness  were  thus 
depicted  to  Swedenborg — 

1  There  appeared  to  me  a  narrow  confined  apartment,  and, 
1  the  door  being  opened,  there  was  presented  a  tall  and  slender 
L  man,  clothed  in  garments  of  intense  whiteness.  I  wondered 
1  who  he  was,  till  I  was  informed,  that  a  man  clothed  in  white 
4  signified  those  who  were  called  Noah,  and  who  were  the  seed 
i  of  the  Ancient  Church — the  Church  after  the  Flood.  They 
*  were  thus  represented  because  they  were  few.'  * 

By  Noah  the  light  of  the  Church  was  diffused  1  far  and 
'  wide  around  the  land  of  Canaan  '  f  among  the  Gentiles — the 
same  animal  or  bestial  stock  out  of  which  the  Adamic  Church 
had  been  created ;  for,  it  is  to  be  carefully  noted,  that  Adam 
was  only  a  fraction  of  the  Human  Race.  Swedenborg  lays 
down  the  principle,  that — 

4  When  a  new  Church  is  established  by  the  Lord,  seldom, 
4  if  ever,  is  it  constituted  amongst  those,  who  formed  the  old 
4  Church :  it  is  transferred  to  the  Gentiles. 

4  Such  was  the  case  when  the  Most  Ancient  Church 
4  perished ;  the  Ancient  Church  was  then  raised  up  among 
4  the  Gentiles,  amongst  those  who  had  heretofore  been  in  no 
4  Church.' } 

There  never  existed  such  persons  as  Noah,  Shem,  Ham, 
Japheth,  and  Canaan.    These  names  we  are  merely  to  regard 


'  and  is  in  use  among  the  Ancients  there,  who  were  in  possession  of  it  during 
'  their  abode  on  earth.'    No.  279. 

Among  Swedenborg' s  disciples  I  have  never  heard  of  any  disposed  to 
trust  him  so  far  as  to  go  exploring  under  his  advice,  '  Seek  for  the  Ancient 
'  Word  in  China,  and  peradventure  you  may  find  it  there  among  the  Tartars.' 

*  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  788,  1,125;  see  also  407,  468,  530,  and  1,140. 

f  *  Arcana  Ccekstia,'  No.  1,140.  X  1  Arcana  Ccdestia,'  No.  2,896. 


342 


THE  CHURCH  CALLED  NOAH. 


as  personifications  of  spiritual  conditions  in  tho  Ancient 
Church,  which,  in  common  with  every  other  Church,  con- 
tained members — 

In  true  Internal  Worship  signified  by  Shein, 
In  corrupt  Internal  Worship  signified  by  Ham, 
In  true  External  Worship  signified  by  Japheth,  and 
In  corrupt  External  Worship  signified  by  Canaan. 
By  Noah  nothing  else  was  meant,  than  the  Ancient  Church  in 
general,  comprehending,  as  a  parent,  all  the  rest.  * 

From  the  Noachian  centre  in  Canaan  the  Ancient  Church 
spread  over  'Assyria,  Mesopotamia,  Syria,  Ethiopia,  Arabia, 
1  Lybia,  Egypt,  Philisthea,  even  to  Tyre  and  Sidon,  through 
1  the  whole  land  of  Canaan,  on  each  side  of  the  Jordan.""!"  Its 
area  thus  greatly  exceeded  that  of  the  Adamic  Church. 

The  people  of  the  Ancient  Church  were  of  a  genius 
altogether  diverse  from  that  of  the  Most  Ancient.  The 
peculiarity  of  Adam  was,  that  his  Will  was  superior  to  his 
Intellect,  that  his  Understanding  was  the  instrument  of  his 
Affections,  that  his  Love  gave  the  impulse  which  his  Wisdom 
passively  carried  into  effect.  x\s  long  as  his  Heart  beat  in 
harmony  with  the  Divine  Will  this  state  was  the  perfection  of 
bliss,  but  when  Pride  betrayed  Adam  Ins  destruction  became 
inevitable  ;  for  his  Understanding  being  subject  to  his  Will 
and  the  mere  executor  of  its  dictates,  there  was  no  means 
whereby  resistance  to  Evil  could  be  offered.  When  our 
Feelings  go  astray  we  are  corrected  by  Intelligence,  when 
our  Understanding  is  at  fault  our  Heart  sometimes  proves 
wiser  than  our  Head;  but  in  Adam  Heart  and  Head  were 
inseparably  united,  and  hurried  irretrievably  to  a  common 
perdition.  J 


*  'Arcana  Ccdestia,'  Nos.  1,140  and  1.238. 
f  1  Arcana  Coolest ia,1  Nos.  1,238  and  2.385. 
X  * Arcana  < '-<i  le.it ia,'  N<j.  i'-'T 


THE  ANCIENT  CHURCHES. 


343 


To  prevent  a  repetition  of  this  catastrophe,  'the  Lord 
1  ordained,  that  the  Human  Will  should  be  separated  from  the 
1  Intellect,'  so  that  henceforth  truth  received  from  without  by 
the  Understanding  might  effect  the  redemption  of  refractory 
and  vicious  Affections.  The  Divine  promise  made  after  the 
Deluge,  "  I  will  not  again  curse  the  groimd  any  more  for 
|£  Man's  sake,  neither  will  I  again  smite  any  more  every  living 
"  thing,  as  I  have  done,"  is  interpreted  by  Swedenborg  into 
a  consequence  of  this  separation  of  Thought  from  Impulse. 
In  illustration  of  the  present  independence  of  the  Will  and  the 
Understanding  he  cites  his  own  experience — 

4  Nothing  can  possibly  be  more  distinct  than  these  two 
?  parts.  This  I  was  enabled  to  perceive  clearly  by  the  Intelli- 
'  gence  of  Angels  and  Spirits  entering  by  influx  into  the  left 
i  side  of  the  Head  or  Brain,  and  their  Will  into  the  right 
4  side :  the  same  division  extends  to  the  left  and  right  sides  of 
c  the  Face.  \Yhen  Good  Spirits  enter,  they  flow  softly  and 
4  sweetly  like  the  most  refreshing  aura ;  when  Evil  Spirits 
1  enter,  they  rush  as  a  turbulent  flood,  their  phantasies  and 
4  direful  persuasions  passing  into  the  left  side  of  the  Brain,  and 
1  their  lusts  into  the  right.'  * 

The  Ancient  Church  extending  over  so  many  kingdoms 
embraced  many  races  who  entertained  neither  a  uniform  creed 
nor  practised  a  uniform  worship.  Love  to  God  and  Man  was 
in  their  eyes  the  sum  of  religion,  and  differences  of  opinion 
and  varieties  of  ceremonial  were  held  as  of  no  account. 

i  The  Doctrine  of  Charity  was  the  doctrine  which  prevailed 
4  in  the  Ancient  Churches,  and  that  doctrine  conjoined  them 


*  1  Arcana  Cadestia?  No.  641.  Swedenborg  in  his  ascription  of  the  right 
side  of  the  Brain  to  the  Will  and  of  the  left  to  the  Understanding,  is  at 
singular  variance  with  the  facts  of  Science.  Those  who  least  respect  the 
teachings  of  Phrenology  yet  willingly  concede,  that  the  Forehead  is  the  seat 
of  Intelligence  and  the  crown  and  back  of  the  Head  are  the  region  of  the 
Will  and  its  Affections. 


344 


SYMBOLISM  AMONG  THE  ANCIENTS. 


1  all  and  out  of  several  made  one ;  for  they  acknowledged  as 
1  Churchmen  all  who  lived  in  the  good  of  charity  and  called 
4  them  brethren,  howsoever  they  might  differ  as  to  truths. 

1  In  the  truths  of  faith  one  instructed  the  other,  which 
c  instruction  they  reckoned  amongst  their  works  of  charity ; 
1  neither  were  they  indignant  if  one  did  not  accede  to  the 
c  opinion  of  another,  for  they  knew  that  one  can  only  receive 
1  such  truth  as  is  in  correspondence  with  his  goodness. 

1  Such  being  the  character  of  the  Ancient  Churches,  the 
1  members  thereof  were  interior  men,  and  in  consequence  of 
4  being  interior  they  were  wise ;  for  they  who  are  in  charity 
L  abide  as  to  their  minds  in  Heaven,  in  association  with  Angels 
1  of  kindred  spirit,  and  are  wise,  as  Angels  are  wise,  from  the 
1  Divine  Presence. 

1  The  case  is  altogether  otherwise  with  those  who  are  prin- 
c  cipled  in  mere  doctrinals,  and  not  in  charity.  These  dispute  on 
c  every  subject,  and  condemn  all  without  distinction  whose  senti- 
L  ments,  or  as  they  term  it  belief,  do  not  accord  with  their  own.'* 

The  inferiority  of  the  Ancient  to  the  Most  Ancient  Church 
was  in  nothing  more  apparent  than  in  the  manner  in  which 
they  were  affected  by  the  External  "World.  To  the  Most 
Ancient  Church  every  object  revealed  its  origin  proximately 
in  Mind,  and  essentially  in  Deity.  Of  this  quick  and  instinctive 
perception  of  causes  within  appearances  the  Ancient  Church 
was  destitute ;  but  its  members  were  not  therefore  ignorant  or 
careless  of  the  symbolism  of  Nature ;  quite  the  reverse  was 
their  case.  The  Outer  World  did  not  indeed  discover  to  them 
at  a  glance  the  secret  of  its  being,  but  from  the  traditions 
collected  by  Enoch  and  his  associates,  they  learned  the  relation 
of  the  seen  to  the  unseen,  and  their  chief  intellectual  delight 
was  to  pursue  into  their  ramifications  the  correspondences 
existing  between  God  and  Mind  and  Matter. 


*  'Arcana  Ccelutia,'  Noc  6,62*,  29. 


GLORY  OF  THE  ANCIENT  CHURCH. 


345 


4  The  knowledge  of  correspondences  was  held  in  the  highest 
4  esteem  by  the  Ancients,  and  was  styled  the  science  of  sciences. 
1  All  their  treatises  were  written  according  to  its  rules.  The 
4  Book  of  Job,  which  was  a  book  of  the  Ancient  Church,  is 
4  full  of  correspondences.  The  hieroglyphics  of  the  Egyptians 
4  and  the  oldest  fables  of  the  Greeks  are  nothing  but  corres- 
4  pondences  set  in  series.  The  science  of  the  Ancients  was 
4  thus  altogether  different  from  the  later  developements  of 
4  thought  called  philosophy.  Such  systems  as  Aristotle's  were 
4  altogether  foreign  and  unknown  to  the  Ancients.'  * 

4  The  Ancients  knew  what  was  signified  by  animals  and 
4  trees  of  every  kind,  what  by  mountains  and  hills,  springs  and 
4  rivers,  what  by  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars.  In  accordance  with 
4  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  their  devotion  they  resorted  to 
4  mountains  and  hills,  groves  and  gardens,  to  perform  their 
4  worship.  For  the  same  reason  they  consecrated  fountains, 
4  turned  their  faces  to  the  East  in  prayer,  and  placed  images 
4  of  horses,  oxen,  lambs,  fishes,  and  serpents,  in  their  streets, 
4  houses,  and  temples,  that  they  might  recall  to  their  memories 
4  the  sacred  things  they  signified.'  j* 

Luxuriating  in  this  symbolism,  and  blest  in  abounding 
charity,  the  glory  of  the  Ancient  Church  is  variously  described 
in  the  Scriptures.  Its  essential  unity,  beneath  superficial 
differences  of  ritual  and  opinion,  is  expressed  in  the  assertion, 
4  The  whole  earth  was  of  one  language  and  of  one  speech.' 
Ezekiel  speaks  of  the  Church  of  Tyre,  4  Thou  King  of  Tyrus 
4  sealest  up  the  sum,  full  of  wisdom  and  perfect  in  beauty. 
4  Thou  hast  been  in  Eden,  the  garden  of  God ;  every  precious 
4  stone  was  thy  covering ;  thou  wast  upon  the  holy  mountain 


*  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  2,782,  3,021,  4,280,  4,966,  7,729,  and  10,355. 
4  Vera  Christiana  Religio,'  No.  201. 

f  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  4,288  and  4,904.  '  Vera  Christiana  Religio* 
Nos.  205,  275,  291,  and  833.    '  Dimna  Providential  No.  255. 


346 


FALL  OF  THE  ANCIENT  CHURCH. 


4  of  God ;  thou  hast  walked  up  and  down  in  the  midst  of  the 
4  stones  of  fire ;  thou  wast  perfect  in  thy  ways  from  the  day 
4  thou  wast  created,  till  iniquity  was  found  in  thee and  again 
the  same  Prophet  describes  the  great  Church  of  Assyria, 
4  Behold,  the  Assyrian  was  a  cedar  in  Lebanon  with  fair 
4  branches  and  of  high  stature.  The  waters  made  him  great, 
4  the  deep  set  him  upon  high  with  her  rivers  running  round 
4  about  his  plants.  All  the  fowls  of  heaven  made  their  nests 
4  in  his  boughs,  under  his  branches  did  all  the  beasts  of  the 
4  field  bring  forth  their  young,  and  under  his  shadow  dwelt  all 
4  great  nations.  The  cedars  in  the  garden  of  God  could  not 
4  hide  him  :  the  fir  trees  were  not  like  his  boughs,  and  the 
4  chesnut  trees  were  not  like  his  branches,  nor  any  tree  in  the 
4  garden  of  God  was  like  unto  him  in  his  beauty ;  and  all  the 
4  trees  of  Eden  envied  him.7* 

The  decline  of  the  Ancient  Church  began  in  the  growth 
of  self-love  over  neighbourly  love,  and  of  worldly  care  and 
the  lust  of  the  flesh  over  delight  in  divine  and  heavenly  things. 
The  process  of  degradation  is  summarily  related  in  Genesis 
under  the  allegory  of  a  retreat  from  the  East,f  a  settlement  in 
the  valley  of  Shinar,  the  building  of  the  Tower  of  Babel  with 
brick  and  slime,  the  confusion  of  tongues  and  the  dispersion 
of  the  builders.  The  Babylonish  love  of  power  sundered  the 
brotherhood  of  the  Churches,  subordinated  the  well-being  of 
the  many  to  the  pride  of  a  few,  transformed  peaceful  patri- 
archal communities  into  aristocracies  and  monarchies,!  and 
finally  into  gigantic  empires  for  the  double  purpose  of  aggres- 
sion and  defence. 


*  Genesis  xi.  1,  xiii.  10;  Ezekiel  xxviii.  12  to  15,  xxxi.  3  to  9.  Sweden- 
borg's  'Coronis,'  No.  41. 

f  1  The  Lord,  in  the  supreme  sense,  is  the  East  because  He  is  the  Sun  of 
•  Heaven.'— 'Arcana  Cadestia,'  Nos.  101,  5,097  and  9,668. 

|  'Arcana  Ctekstia,'  Nos.  7,364  and  10,814;  'Vera  Chr'ustiana  Mftfa,1 

No.  9. 


HELLS  OF  THE  ANCIENTS. 


347 


With  the  loss  of  love  the  Churches  gradually  lost  their 
intelligence  ;  stupidity  kept  pace  with  selfishness.  Their  Scrip- 
tures were  neglected  and  then  disappeared,  and  their  know- 
ledge of  correspondences  degenerated  into  superstition  and 
idolatry,  and  in  the  Egyptian  Church  the  science  of  the  con- 
nection of  the  spiritual  with  the  natural  world  was  perverted 
into  magical  arts. 

4  Symbols  and  images  they  began  to  regard  as  divine  and 
4  holy,  not  knowing  that  their  ancestors  saw  nothing  sacred  in 

*  them.  To  some  they  bowed  the  knee,  some  they  kissed, 
4  some  they  decorated  with  flowers  and  ribbons  as  children  do 
4  dolls  and  Papists  saints ;  of  some  they  made  household  gods, 
4  of  some  tutelar  demigods,  and  of  some  pythons  ;  some  again 
4  of  small  size  they  carried  in  their  hands ;  some  they  hugged 
4  in  their  bosoms,  caressed  and  whispered  petitions  to.  Thus 

*  they  converted  heavenly  types  into  infernal,  and  the  divine 
4  things  of  Heaven  and  the  Church  into  idols. 

4  In  this  manner  arose  the  idolatries  which  filled  the  whole 
4  earth,  as  well  Asia  with  its  adjacent  islands,  as  Africa  and 
4  Europe.* 

4  The  vastation  and  consummation  of  the  Ancient  Churches 
4  are  described  throughout  the  Word  both  in  the  historic  and 
4  prophetic  parts;  the  consummation  of  the  Church  round  about 
4  Jordan  is  described  in  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Go- 
4  rnorrah ;  that  of  the  Church  of  Canaan  in  the  slaughter  of  the 
4  Canaanites  by  the  Israelites;  and  that  of  the  Church  of  Egypt 
4  by  the  drowning  of  Pharaoh  and  his  host  in  the  Red  Sea.'f 


*  1  Coronis,'  No.  43,  and  'Divina  Providential  No.  255.  It  is  difficult  to 
reconcile  this  statement  with  the  fact  that  fetish  worship  prevails  wherever  man 
is  a  savage,  and  we  can  scarcely  suppose  that  the  aborigines  of  Australasia 
were  idolaters  by  the  perversion  of  the  symbolism  of  the  Ancient  Church. 
I  can  find  nothing  in  Swedenborg  which  gives  any  hint  as  to  the  existence  or 
non-existence  of  any  rudimentary  notion  of  religion  among  the  animal  stock 
out  of  which  both  the  Adamic  and  the  Ancient  Churches  were  constituted. 

f  'CoronisJ  No.  41. 


348 


THE  JEWISH  CHURCH. 


Some  of  the  Heavens  and  Hells  of  the  Ancient  Church 

were  visited  by  Swcdenborg. 

'  The  Hells  for  the  most  part  consist  of  magicians,  who 
4  have  huts  and  homes  of  entertainment  scattered  up  and  down 
4  a  desert.  They  wander  about  with  staves  of  various  forms 
4  in  their  hands,  some  of  which  are  stained  with  necromantic 
4  juices  j  by  them  they  exercise  the  arts  they  practised  on  earth 
4  by  the  abuse  of  correspondences,  by  phantasies,  by  persua>i\ e 
4  assurances  which  produce  miraculous  faith  and  works,  and 
4  also  by  exorcism,  incantation,  fascination  and  sorcery,  and 
4  several  other  infernal  contrivances,  whereby  they  present 
4  illusory  appearances  as  if  they  were  real.  Their  hearts' 
4  greatest  delight  is  to  utter  prophecies  and  prognostications, 
4  and  to  be  resorted  to  as  Familiar  Spirits.  These  Satans  have 
4  been  the  origin  of  various  enthusiasms  in  the  Christian 
4  World.'* 

The  Jewish  Church, 

We  now  come  to  the  beginning  of  the  Mosaic  Scriptures 
and  exchange  allegory  for  history,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether 
the  surprise  excited  by  Swedenborg's  interpretation  of  the 
early  chapters  of  Genesis  will  not  be  exceeded  by  his  doctrine 
concerning  the  character  and  mission  of  the  Jews  4  chosen  by 
4  Jehovah  for  a  holy  people  unto  Himself  above  all  the  nations 
4  on  the  face  of  the  earth.'  Swedenborg's  testimony  in  many 
of  its  parts  is  not  peculiar ;  similar  opinions  might  easily  be 
drawn  from  theologians  and  critics ;  but  his  theory  in  its  en- 
tirety, in  its  comprehensive  sweep  and  application  will,  I  think, 
be  confessed  original. 

Abraham  he  derives  from  a  degenerate  stock  of  the  An- 
cient Church  called  Heber,  existing  in  Syria,  Mesopotamia, 
and  among  some  nations  of  Canaan,  who  worshipped  God 
Schaddai  and  practised  animal  sacrifice  (a  practice  unknown 


•  1 Arcana  (  'o  Ust  'ia,1  Nos.  6,Gy2  and  9,193;  'CoroaU,1  Nos.  41  to  -15. 


ABRAHAM  CALLED  PROM  IDOLATRY. 


349 


and  undreamt  of  by  the  wiser  Ancients)  regarding  burnt 
offerings  as  the  most  sacred  and  essential  of  rites.  The 
immediate  ancestors  of  Abraham  had  declined  to  idolatry  as 
appears  from  the  farewell  speech  of  Joshua  to  Israel — 4  Thus 
4  saith  Jehovah  God  of  Israel,  "  Your  fathers  dwelt  on  the 
1  "  other  side  of  the  flood  [Jordan]  in  old  time,  even  Terah, 
4  "  the  father  of  Abraham,  and  the  father  of  Nachor :  and  they 
4  44  served  other  gods.  .  .  .  Now,  therefore,  fear  Jehovah,  and 
1 61  serve  Him  in  sincerity  and  in  truth ;  and  put  away  the  gods 
4  "  which  your  fathers  served  on  the  other  side  of  the  flood,  and 
4  44  in  Egypt;  and  serve  ye  Jehovah."  '*  Abraham  was  led 
from  the  idolatry  of  his  father's  house  into  Canaan  and  intro- 
duced to  the  worship  of  one  God,  not  as  Jehovah,  but  as 
Schaddai ;  for  as  related  in  Exodus — 4  God  spake  unto  Moses, 
4  and  said  unto  him,  44 1  am  Jehovah ;  and  I  appeared  unto 
4  44  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob  as  God  Schaddai, 
4  44  but  by  my  name  Jehovah  was  I  not  known  unto  them."  '  f 

In  Abraham  the  Jewish  Church  began,  but  its  superficial 
life  was  extinguished  during  the  captivity  in  Egypt  when  the 
Israelites  lost  all  knowledge  of  representative  worship  and 
shared  in  the  idolatry  of  the  Egyptians.  Under  Moses  they 
were  led  out  of  the  land  of  bondage,  taught  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  and  initiated  into  a  complex  legal  and  ceremonial 
life.  The  Bible  narrative  from  Abraham,  Swedenborg  accepts 
literally,  raising  no  questions  as  to  its  matter  of  fact  accuracy 
while  asserting  that  every  sentence,  yea  every  letter  and  iota, 
is  alive  with  spiritual  and  divine  meaning.  Nevertheless 
where  he  feels  a  difficulty  he  is  seldom  at  a  loss  for  an  ex- 
planation, and  had  he  had  a  Bishop  Colenso  to  answer,  there  is 
no  telling  what  concessions  he  might  have  made ;  for  instance, 
in  the  case  of  the  ass  expostulating  with  Balaam,  he  writes — 

4  It  sounded  in  the  ears  of  Balaam  as  if  the  ass  spoke  to 


*  'Joshua,'  xxiv.,  2,  14,  15. 


f  1  Exodus,'  vi.  2,  3. 


350 


MIRACLES,  HOW  WROUGHT. 


4  him,  notwithstanding  the  ass  did  not  speak,  but  the  speech 
4  was  heard  as  if  proceeding  from  her.  This  I  have  ascer- 
4  tuned  by  lively  experience  ;  it  lias  been  given  me  to  hear  as 
4  if  it  were  horses  speaking,  when  nevertheless  the  speech  was 
4  not  from  them,  but  as  if  it  were  from  them/  • 

Again,  Joshua's  command,  44  Sim,  stand  thou  still  upon 
44  Gibeon,  and  thou,  Moon  in  the  valley  of  Ajalun"  he  gets 
over  thus — 

4  What  is  said  in  44  Joshua"  that  the  Sun  stood  still  upon 
4  Gibeon  and  the  Moon  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon  appears  as  if 
4  historical,  but  it  is  prophetic,  being  quoted  from  the  44  Book 
4  44  of  Jasher"  which  was  a  prophetic  book  ;  for  it  is  said,  44  Is 
4  44  not  this  written  in  the  4  Booh  of  JasherV  " 

4  The  same  may  also  appear  from  the  circumstance,  that 
4  this  miracle,  if  it  had  been  actually  accomplished,  would  have 
4  inverted  the  whole  order  of  Nature,  which  is  not  the  case 
4  with  the  rest  of  the  miracles  recorded  in  the  Word.*  f 

The  miracles  wrought  by  the  Egyptian  sorcerers  in  rivalry 
with  Moses  are  admitted  by  Swedenborg  to  have  been  real 
prodigies  effected  by  abuse  of  the  ancient  Science  of  Corres- 
pondences. Magical  arts  were  carried  to  great  perfection 
in  Egypt,  and  the  deepest  magical  Hells  are  formed  of 
Egyptians.  % 

Jacob  was  the  father  of  the  Jews,  and  in  Jacob's  character 
Swedenborg  finds  the  type  of  his  posterity.  In  his  vow  at 
Bethel,  4  If  God  will  be  with  me,  and  will  keep  me  in  this 


*  '  Xumbers'  xxii.  33;  *  Apocahjpsls  Explicata,'  No.  140. 

t  1  Joshua,1  x.  12,  1-4;  ' Apocrthjpsis  fievclata,'  No.  53,  and  'A]>ocabrp*is 
'  Explicata?  No.  401.  Swedenborg  here  forgets  the  retreat  of  the  shadow 
ten  degrees  backward  on  the  dial  of  Ahaz.  2  1  Khujs,'  xx.  8.  11;  'Isaiah," 
xxxv  iii.  7,  8. 

X  1  Arcana  Grfcstia;  N*  MM. 


JEWISH  GREED  AND  IGNORANCE. 


351 


4  way  that  I  go,  and  will  give  me  bread  to  eat,  and  raiment  to 
4  put  on,  so  that  I  come  again  to  my  father's  house  in  peace, 
( then  shall  Jehovah  be  my  God,  and  of  all  that  He  shall  give 
4  me  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth  unto  Him' — he  discovers  the 
mercenary  piety  of  the  whole  Jewish  race.*  In  the  sub- 
sequent history  of  Israel  he  sees  nothing,  but  selfish  Jacob 
over  and  over  again ;  and  through  the  whole  course  of  the 
4  Arcana  CmlestiaJ  he  pursues  the  Jews  with  one  whip  of 
epithets  as  the  basest  of  mankind.  I  cannot  trust  myself  to 
re-produce  his  opinions  and  shall  therefore  in  a  short  series 
of  extracts  endeavour  to  give  an  abstract  of  the  multitude  of 
his  testimonies  concerning  the  ignorance  and  depravity  of  the 
chosen  people. 

Their  Worship  of  Jehovah. 

4  The  Israelites  were  kept  some  hundreds  of  years  in  Egypt 
1  where  they  were  reduced  to  such  ignorance,  that  they  lost 
4  the  knowledge  of  the  very  name  of  Jehovah.")" 

4  When  they  did  acknowledge  Jehovah  it  was  no  otherwise 
4  than  as  another  god  by  whom  they  might  be  distinguished 
4  from  the  Gentiles  and  become  great  and  pre-eminent  over 
4  surrounding  nations. 

4  With  the  mouth  the  Jews  confessed  one  God,  but  they 
4  did  not  so  own  Him  in  their  hearts.  More  than  the  Gentiles, 
4  they  believed  in  many  gods,  but  considered  Jehovah  the 
4  greatest,  because  He  could  work  greater  miracles ;  wherefore 
4  as  soon  as  miracles  ceased,  or  became  of  little  account  through 
4  frequency  and  familiarity,  they  instantly  resorted  to  idols. 
4  Headed  by  Aaron,  and  within  a  month  of  the  wonders  on 
4  Sinai,  they  were  worshipping  a  golden  calf. 


*  'Genesis,'  xxviii.,  19  to  22;  'Arcana  Ccdestia?  Nos.  3,667,  3,732,  and 
10,559. 

f  '  Exodus,'  iii.,  12  to  14 ;  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  4,289.  Which  name, 
oddly  enough,  had  never  been  revealed  to  them  !    See  preceding  page,  349. 


352 


JEWISH  DARKNESS. 


1  They  worshipped  Jehovah  merely  for  the  sake  of  miracles, 
4  and  not  because  He  was  the  only  God ;  and  he  who  worships 
4  God  for  the  sake  of  miracles  alone,  worships  a  name,  and  not 
4  God,  and  falls  away  from  worship  as  often  as  he  does  not 
4  enjoy  what  he  desires. 

4  Thus  even  their  worship  of  Jehovah  was  idolatrous ;  for 
4  the  worship  of  a  name  pnly,  admitting  it  to  be  the  name  of 
4  Jehovah,  is  nothing  else  but  sheer  idolatry.  The  case  is  the 
4  same  with  those  who  call  themselves  Christians,  and  say  they 
4  worship  Christ,  but  do  not  live  according  to  His  precepts. 

4  The  reason  why  it  is  said  of  Moses,  that  u  Jehovah  spake 
4 11  unto  him  face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  unto  his  friend,1' 
4  is  because  He  appeared  to  him  in  human  form  adapted  to  the 
4  condition  of  Moses,  which  was  external.  I  have  been  in- 
4  formed  by  the  Angels,  that  Moses  saw  Jehovah  as  an  aged 
4  and  bearded  man  sitting  with  him.  Hence  also  the  Jews 
4  had  no  other  idea  of  Jehovah  than  as  of  a  very  old  man  with 
4  a  beard  as  white  as  snow,  who  could  do  miracles  above  other 
4  gods ;  but  not  that  He  was  most  holy,  for  they  had  no  notion 
1  of  what  holiness  was.'  * 

Their  Spiritual  Ignorance. 

1  The  Jews  were  in  plenary  ignorance  of  spiritual  things. 
4  They  were  rooted  in  no  truth  of  faith.  Of  the  Lord  and  His 
4  Kingdom  and  of  life  after  death  they  knew  actually  nothing. 

4  Whilst  in  external  worship  and  in  the  strict  observance 
4  of  rituals,  they  were  so  ignorant  of  everything  internal  as  to 
4  suppose,  that  there  was  no  life  beyond  the  body.  The  nature 
4  of  the  soul,  of  faith  in  the  Lord,  of  things  spiritual  and  celes- 
4  tial,  and  of  the  future  life  was  utterly  unknown  to  them. 

4  When  man  is  of  such  a  character  as  to  recognize  no  life 


*  'Arcana  Codestia?  Nos.  4,208,  4,311,  7,401,  4,847,  4,692,  10,566  and 

4,209. 


JEWISH  AVARICE. 


353 


4  except  the  present,  he  must  needs  discredit  the  existence  of 
4  internal,  spiritual  and  celestial  principles.  Such  are  all  those 
4  who  like  the  Jews  live  immersed  in  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  and 
4  the  world,  and  especially  in  filthy  avarice.  They  may  fre- 
1  quent  synagogues  and  churches,  and  observe  established  forms 
4  with  extreme  accuracy,  but  inasmuch  as  they  have  no  belief 
4  in  a  life  after  death,  their  worship  can  be  nothing  but  external 
4  like  a  shell  without  a  kernel,  or  a  tree  without  fruit,  or  even 
4  leaves. 

4  Whatever  may  be  the  acuteness,  or  the  scientific  reputation 
4  of  the  Jew,  he  can  have  no  concern  about  internal  things, 
4  because  his  quality  is  such,  that  he  believes  nothing  exists 
4  but  what  he  sees  with  his  eyes  and  feels  with  his  touch ; 
4  consequently  there  is  to  him  neither  Heaven  nor  Hell.  If 
4  he  were  told,  that  immediately  after  death  he  will  enter  into 
4  another  life  in  which  he  will  see,  hear,  speak  and  touch,  with 
4  a  perfection  impossible  in  the  body,  he  would  reject  the 
4  information  as  a  paradox  or  phantasy.'* 

Their  Avarice. 

4  The  Jews  are  the  most  avaricious  of  nations,  and  avarice 
4  like  theirs,  which  prizes  gold  and  silver,  not  for  the  sake  of 
4  use  but  for  the  mere  lust  of  possession,  is  an  affection  the 
4  most  earthly,  and  draws  the  mind  altogether  into  the  body 
4  and  immerses  it  therein,  and  closes  the  interior  faculties  to 
4  such  a  degree,  that  it  is  impossible  for  anything  of  the  faith 
4  or  love  of  Heaven  to  enter.  Hence  it  is  evident  how  much 
4  they  are  mistaken,  who  think  the  Church  will  again  pass  to 
4  Israel.  It  would  be  an  easier  matter  to  convert  stones  than 
4  Jews  to  faith  in  the  Lord. 

4  In  Jewish  avarice  is  not  only  love  of  the  world,  but  also 
4  self-love,  and  indeed  the  most  filthy  self-love ;  for  with  the 


*  1  Arcana  Cazlestia,'  Nos.  3,373,  10,500,  1,200,  and  4,464. 

2  A 


354  JEWISH  AVARICE  AND  PRIDE. 

4  sordidly  avaricious,  money  is  not  loved  for  ostentation  nor  for 
4  luxury.  It  is  a  love  altogether  earthly,  having  nothing  for 
1  its  end  but  money,  wherein  it  feels  itself  to  be  above  all  others, 
1  not  m  act  but  in  ability.  Such  avarice  is  the  lowest  and  vilest 
4  form  of  self-love,  and  contrary  to  all  goodness  whatsoever. 
4  Hence  they  are  in  such  thick  darkness  that  they  cannot  by 
1  any  means  see  what  is  good  and  true  or  comprehend  how  life 
4  is  possible  after  the  death  of  the  body,  and  in  heart  deride 
4  those  who  look  for  immortality.  The  Jews  have  been  in 
4  this  case  from  the  beginning,  and  therefore  no  spiritual  truth 
1  was  revealed  to  them,  as  is  evident  from  the  Old  Testament.'* 

Their  Pride  and  Cruelty. 

4  The  Israelites  whilst  outwardly  holy  were  inwardly  filthy 
4  and  defiled,  full  of  self-love  and  love  of  the  world,  thus  of 
4  contempt,  hatred,  malice,  envy,  avarice,  rapine  and  the  like. 

4  The  Hells  are  nothing  but  self-love  and  love  of  the  world, 
4  and  these  have  been  the  loves  of  the  Jews  from  the  earliest 
4  times  ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  they  regarded  all  other  nations 
4  as  vile  and  as  of  no  account  whatever  beside  themselves. 
4  Hence  the  Lord  said  to  them,  44  Ye  are  of  your  father  the 
4  44  Devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do." 

4  This  contempt  for  others  exists  in  the  Jews  at  this  day, 
4  but  as  they  lead  a  precarious  life  in  the  lands  of  strangers 
4  they  hide  it  deep  within  themselves. 

4  What  was  the  nature  of  the  lusts  and  phantasies  of  the 
4  Jews  no  one  can  know,  who  has  not  had  some  conversation 
4  with  them  in  the  other  life ;  and  this  was  granted  me  in 
4  order  that  I  might  learn.  In  the  Spiritual  World  I  have 
4  occasionally  discoursed  with  them.  They  love  themselves 
4  and  worldly  wealth  more  than  any  people  ;  and  moreover 
4  supremely  dread  the  loss  of  self-honour  and  of  gain.  Ac- 


*  'Arcana  Odest'ia,'  Not.  4,203,  4.159.  8.301.  and  4.750-51. 


JEWISH  CRUELTY. 


355 


cordingly,  at  this  day  as  of  old,  they  despise  others  in  com- 
parison with  themselves,  and  by  the  most  intense  assiduity 
acquire  money ;  besides,  they  are  timid. 

I  The  Israelites  more  than  any  people  were  of  such  a 
nature,  that  as  soon  as  they  observed  anything  unfriendly, 
even  amongst  those  to  whom  they  were  allied,  they  believed 
it  lawful  to  treat  them  cruelly,  and  not  only  to  kill  them, 
but  to  expose  their  bodies  to  birds  and  beasts.  .  .  .  There- 
fore they  could  not  believe  otherwise,  than  that  Jehovah 
entertained  hatred,  and  was  angry,  wrathful  and  furious. 
This  is  the  reason  why  in  the  Word,  Jehovah  is  so  de- 
scribed ;  for  according  to  man's  quality,  so  the  Lord  appears 
to  him. 

i  The  Jews  were  so  cruel  and  such  beasts,  that  they  per- 
ceived delight  after  slaying  their  enemies  in  battle  to  leave 
them  unburied  to  be  devoured  by  birds  and  beasts. 

I I  once  saw  a  large  mortar,  and  standing  by  it  a  man 
with  an  iron  pestle,  who  from  phantasy  seemed  to  himself  to 
be  pounding  men  in  it,  and  torturing  them  in  a  dreadful 
manner.  This  he  did  with  great  delight :  the  delight  was 
communicated  to  me,  that  I  might  know  its  quality  and 
quantity ;  it  was  an  infernal  delight.  The  Angels  told  me, 
that  such  was  the  ruling  delight  of  the  posterity  of  Jacob, 
and  that  they  perceived  nothing  more  delightful  than  to  treat 
the  nations  with  cruelty,  to  expose  them  when  slain  to  be 
devoured  by  wild  beasts  and  birds,  to  cut  them  alive  with 
saws  and  axes,  to  send  them  through  the  brick-kiln,*  and  to 
dash  their  children  to  the  ground. 'f 


*  1  And  David  gathered  all  the  people  together,  and  went  to  Kabbah,  and 
1  fought  against  it,  and  took  it.  And  he  brought  forth  the  people  that  were 
4  therein,  and  put  them  under  saws,  and  under  harrows  of  iron,  and  under 
'  axes  of  iron,  and  made  them  pass  through  the  brick-kiln :  and  thus  he  did 
'  unto  all  the  cities  of  the  children  of  Ammon.  So  David  and  all  the  people 
1  returned  imto  Jerusalem." — 2  'Samuel,'  xii.  29 — 31. 

t  1  Arcana  (Mestia,'  Nos.  10,429,  4,293,  3,605,  908  and  5,057. 

2  a  2 


356 


THE  JEWS  NOT  CHOSEN. 


In  what  sense  the  Jews  were  chosen. 

The  astonished  reader  will  be  ready  to  inquire,  On  what 
principle  does  Swedenborg  account  for  the  choice  by  Jehovah 
of  { this  worst  of  nations'  for  His  Church? 

In  the  first  place  he  denies,  that  they  were  chosen — 

4  They  were  not  elected,  but  only  accepted  to  represent 
1  Heaven  and  the  Church. 

1  The  posterity  of  Jacob  were  urgent  to  represent  the 
4  Church,  and,  because  of  their  urgency,  were  received,  but 
4  not  chosen. 

1  "Who  at  this  day  does  not  believe  that  the  Church  existed 
4  in  the  Jewish  nation,  yea,  that  the  Jews  were  chosen  and 
4  loved  above  all  peoples  ?  and  this  chiefly  because  so  many 
4  miracles  were  wrought  among  them,  because  so  many  pro- 
4  phcts  were  sent  to  them,  and  because  they  had  the  Word. 
4  Yet  the  Israelites  had  in  them  nothing  of  the  Church,  for 
4  there  was  among  them  no  charity,  nor  indeed  did  they  know 
4  what  true  charity  was.  They  were  also  void  of  faith  in  the 
4  Lord ;  they  knew  that  lie  was  to  come,  but  they  supposed 
4  that  He  would  raise  them  above  all  the  universe  ;  and  because 
4  this  was  not  done,  they  altogether  rejected  Him,  being  un- 
4  willing  to  know  anything  of  His  Heavenly  Kingdom. 

4  He  who  is  ignorant,  that  interior  things  constitute  the 
4  Church,  and  not  exterior  things  without  interior,  cannot 
4  know  otherwise  than  that  the  Jews  were  chosen  and  also 
4  loved  by  Jehovah  more  than  all  other  nations,  but  the  case 
4  teas  altogether  otherwise;  they  were  received  because  they 
4  pressed  to  be  received. 

4  Every  one  who  thinks  somewhat  more  deeply  than  com- 
4  mon  may  know,  that  by  the  seed  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
4  Jacob,  which  the  "Word  so  frequently  testifies  should  be 
4  blessed  above  all  nations  and  peoples,  is  not  meant  the  Jews ; 
4  for  compared  with  other  races,  they  were  least  of  all  endowed 
*  with  the  love  of  God  and  the  neighbour. 


THE  USE  MADE  OF  THE  JEWS. 


357 


4  They  who  know  nothing  concerning  the  internal  sense  of 
4  the  Word  cannot  believe  otherwise  than  that  the  J ews  were 
4  elected  in  preference  to  other  nations,  even  as  the  Jews 
4  themselves  believed ;  also,  from  many  promises  in  the  Word, 
4  that  they  will  be  again  elected  and  restored  to  Canaan.  But 
4  the  Word  has  a  spiritual  sense,  and  in  that  sense  by  Israel  is 
1  not  meant  Israel,  nor  by  Jacob  Jacob,  nor  by  Judah  Julah, 
4  but  by  those  persons  are  understood  the  principles,  which  they 
4  represent.  The  Jews  themselves  were  the  wickedest  and 
4  vilest  of  nations  and  will  never  be  restored  to  Canaan.'* 

The  Jeivs  as  Representatives. 

The  Ancient  Church  had  passed  away  into  idolatry,  and  as 
the  material  for  a  Real  Church  had  perished  from  the  world, 
a  Representative  Church  was  raised  up  as  a  substitute.  For 
this  office  the  Jews  had  unique  qualifications. 

4  By  reason  of  their  very  lusts  the  Jews  were  capable  above 
4  all  other  nations  of  being  held  in  holy  externals  whilst  utterly 
4  destitute  of  holy  internals.  This  appears  from  what  is  told 
4  of  them  in  the  Word.  After  punishment  they  could  exhibit 
4  a  degree  of  outward  humiliation  impossible  to  any  other 
4  people ;  for  they  could  lie  prostrate  on  the  ground  for  whole 
4  days,  roll  in  the  dust,  mourn  for  days  together,  going  in 
4  sackcloth  and  tattered  garments  with  ashes  sprinkled  on  their 
4  heads,  fasting  without  intermission,  and  bursting  into  bitter 
4  weeping.  This  all  the  while  was  merely  the  effect  of  bodily 
4  and  earthly  love,  and  the  fear  of  losing  pre-eminence  and 
4  wealth.  Nothing  internal  affected  them,  for  they  knew  not, 
4  neither  were  they  willing  to  know  any  thing  internal,  such 
4  as,  that  there  is  a  life  after  death  and  eternal  salvation. 

4  More  than  any  people  in  the  universal  orb  of  earths  the 
4  Jews  could  fast,  lie  on  the  earth,  roll  in  ashes,  and  mourn  for 


*  'Arcana  Ccdestia,'  Nos.  3,373,  4,290-93,  4,899,  7,051,  7,439,  and  10,396. 


;j58 


THE  JEWS  1D0LAT0RS. 


1  days  together,  nor  desist  until  they  got  what  they  wanted ; 
4  but  this  obstinacy  was  only  for  the  sake  of  themselves  and 
1  arose  from  the  most  ardent  self-love  and  love  of  the  world, 
1  and  not  at  all  for  the  sake  of  God.  .  .  .  Hence  in  the  other 
4  life  the  Jewish  nation  is  in  Hell,  except  a  few  who  have 
i  been  principled  in  good,  and  except  their  infants. 

1  It  was  the  peculiar  genius  of  the  Jews  to  worship  external 
i  things  as  holy  and  divine  without  any  sense  of  internal  holi- 
1  ness  and  divinity ;  thus  to  adore  their  fathers  Abraham,  Isaac 
1  and  Jacob,  and  Moses  and  David  as  deities,  and  to  account 
L  as  holy  and  divine  every  stone  and  piece  of  wood  included 
4  in  their  ritual,  as  the  ark  and  the  tables  therein,  the  lamp, 
4  the  altar,  the  garments  of  Aaron,  the  Urim  and  Thummim, 
1  and  afterwards  the  temple.  Inasmuch  therefore  as  more  than 
L  others  they  could  place  Divine  Worship  in  things  outside 
L  themselves,  and  thereby  act  the  Representative  of  a  Church, 
*  they  were  accepted  for  that  purpose.'* 

Representation  independent  of  Character. 

Swedenborg  is  very  careful  in  cautioning  us  against  the 
opinion,  that  the  Jewish  nation  was  anything  but  a  Repre- 
sentative Church.  The  Real  Church  exists  alone  in  those  who 
love  God  and  their  neighbour,  and  of  such  love  the  Jews  were 
destitute — 

4  Such  has  perpetually  been  the  quality  of  that  nation. 
1  Let  not  any  one  then  suppose,  that  there  was  any  Church 
4  amongst  them,  but  only  the  Representative  of  a  Church ; 
1  still  less  that  they  were  chosen  in  preference  to  others  for 
1  their  goodness.' f 

We  are  therefore  in  some  sense  to  look  at  the  Jews  in  the 
Bible  as  we  do  at  actors  and  actresses  in  a  theatre  playing  as 


*  'Arcana  CoHcaVm?  Nos.  4,203,  10,430  and  8,58S. 
+  Arcana  Crrlestin,"  N<».>,  4,816  And  7,439 


THE  JEWS  MERELY  PERFORMERS. 


359 


kings  and  queens  and  great  people.  In  themselves,  the  Jews 
were  a  low  rabble,  but  their  baseness  was  no  disqualification 
for  their  representation  of  great  parts. 

4  In  representations  the  character  of  the  representative  was 
4  of  no  account,  but  only  the  principle  represented ;  wherefore 
4  things  divine,  celestial  and  spiritual  were  expressed  not  only 
4  by  persons,  but  by  articles  inanimate,  as  by  Aaron's  gar- 
4  ments,  by  the  ark  and  altar,  by  oxen  and  sheep  sacrificed, 
4  by  bread  and  oil  and  frankincense. 

4  Hence  Kings,  good  and  bad  alike,  represented  the  Lord's 
4  wisdom,  and  Priests,  good  and  bad  alike,  His  love,  so  long 
4  as  they  conformed  to  the  laws  set  down  for  their  several 
4  parts.  The  High  Priest  might  be  the  most  impure  of  man- 
c  kind  and  at  heart  an  idolator,  but  if  he  washed  himself  with 
4  water,  ministered  in  pontifical  vestments,  stood  before  the 
1  lighted  candles  and  executed  his  prescribed  routine,  so  far 
4  as  the  efficacy  of  the  Representative  Church  was  concerned, 
4  his  private  character  was  a  matter  of  no  consequence.'* 

So  much  for  the  actors;  now  a  few  words  about  their 
stage — 

The  Land  of  Canaan. 

4  The  Church  of  the  Lord  had  existed  in  Canaan  from  the 
1  most  ancient  times ;  there  was  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  there 
4  subsisted  remains  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church,  especially 
1  among  those  who  were  called  Hittites  and  Hivites.  Hence 
4  it  came  to  pass,  that  all  its  places,  its  mountains,  rivers,  valleys 
4  and  borders  were  representative  of  divine,  celestial  and 
4  spiritual  things.  For  this  reason  Abraham  was  commanded 
4  to  settle  in  Canaan,  and  its  inheritance  was  promised  to  his 
1  posterity,  that  out  of  them  a  Eepresentative  Church  might 
4  be  formed,  and  that  the  names  consecrated  by  the  Most 


*  'Arcana  Ccelestia?  Nos.  665,  1,361,  3,670  and  4281. 


360 


DESTRUCTION  OF  TIIE  CANAANITES. 


4  Ancient  and  Ancient  Churches  might  be  preserved  in  the 
4  Word.'* 

Not  until  the  Jews  occupied  Canaan  did  the  Representative 
Church  begin — 

4  Jacob's  sons  did  not  constitute  any  Church,  nor  did  their 
4  posterity  until  they  had  gone  out  of  Egypt,  nor  actually 
4  before  they  came  into  Canaan.' f 

The  invasion  of  Canaan  and  the  extirpation  of  the  Canaanites 
by  the  Israelites  is  to  be  read  as  symbolic  of  the  victory  of 
Jesus  Christ  over  the  powers  of  Hell  and  of  His  subjugation 
in  every  regenerate  heart  of  selfishness  to  righteousness. 

4  The  reason  why  the  Israelites  destroyed  the  Canaanites 
4  was  because  the  Canaanites  represented  things  infernal  and 
4  diabolical  and  the  Israelites  things  celestial  and  spiritual.'} 

The  atrocities  practised  on  the  Canaanites  are  explained 
by  Swedenborg  as  permitted  to  the  Jews  because  they  were 
so  gross  and  hardened,  that  slaughter  and  cruelty  could  not 
hurt  or  deprave  them  further. 

4  The  Jews  were  permitted  to  destroy  the  Canaanites 
4  because  they  were  not  a  Church  but  ouly  the  Representative 
4  of  a  Church,  thus  neither  was  the  Lord  present  with  them 
4  except  only  representatively  j  for  they  were  in  externals  with- 
4  out  internals,  that  is,  in  worship  representative  of  goodness 


*  1  Arcana  Calestia,'  Nos.  3,686,  4,447  and  7,439. 

f  '  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  4,439. 

t  'Arcana  Ccclestia,'  Nos.  6,306  and  9,320. 

In  dealing  with  this  analogy  we  must  not  conclude  that  Hell  is  destroyed 
or  Selfishness  extirpated;  the  Lord  when  in  the  flesh  subjugated  the  Hells; 
and  in  our  private  regeneration  selfishness  is  not  abolished,  but  subordinated 
to  the  service  of  goodness.  Hence  Swedenborg  translates  destruction  in  the 
literal  sense  to  removal  in  the  spiritual.  '  The  reason  why  to  destroy  denotes 
1  to  remove  is,  because  they  who  are  in  good  and  truth,  in  no  case  destroy 
1  those  who  are  in  evil  and  falsehood,  inasmuch  as  they  act  from  good  and  not 
•  from  evil,  and  good  is  from  the  Lord,  who  never  destroys  any  one.' — 4  Arcana. 
'  Ccclestia,1  No.  9,320. 


CRUELTY  COULD  NOT  DEPRAVE  JEWS.  361 


4  and  truth,  but  not  in  goodness  and  truth.  To  persons  of 
4  such  a  character  it  is  permitted  to  destroy,  to  kill,  to  give  to 
4  slaughter  and  to  the  curse ;  but  it  is  not  permitted  to  those 
4  who  are  in  externals  and  in  the  same  time  in  internals, 
4  inasmuch  as  these  must  act  from  good,  and  good  is  from  the 
4  Lord.  That  Israel  was  of  such  a  character  Moses  declares 
4  openly — "  Speak  not  then  in  thine  heart,  after  that  Jehovah 
4  "  thy  God  hath  cast  the  nations  out  before  thee,  saying,  For 
4  44  my  righteousness  Jehovah  hath  brought  me  in  to  possess 
4  44  this  land.  Not  for  thy  righteousness,  nor  for  the  upright- 
4  44  ness  of  thine  heart,  dost  thou  go  to  possess  this  land.  .  .  . 
4  44  for  thou  art  a  stiff-necked  people."*  ...  In  a  word  the 
4  Israelites  were  the  very  worst  of  nations.' f 

It  will  be  said,  that  Jehovah  sanctioned  or  directed  the 
extermination  of  the  nations  of  Canaan  by  the  mouth  of  Moses, 
who  said  to  Israel 4  When  Jehovah  thy  God  shall  deliver  them 
4  before  thee,  thou  shalt  smite  them  and  utterly  destroy  them ; 
4  thou  shall  make  no  covenant  with  them,  nor  shew  mercy 
4  unto  them.' J  Such  objections  our  Author  makes  short  work 
of  by  means  of  his  doctrine  of  appearances.  Commenting  on 
the  story  told  in  Genesis  of  Jacob  4  wrestling  with  a  man  until 
4  break  of  day,'  and  calling  the  place  of  struggle  Peniel,  4  for,' 
4  concluded  Jacob,  4 1  have  seen  God  face  to  face,  and  my  life 
4  is  preserved,' §  he  observes — 

4  Evil  Spirits,  and  not  good,  wrestled  with  Jacob,  for  by 
4  wrestling  is  signified  temptation,  and  temptation  is  never 
4  wrought  by  good  Spirits,  but  by  evil.  Good  Spirits  and 
4  Angels  never  excite  evils  and  falses,  but  defend  Man  against 
4  them,  and  bend  them  to  good;  for  good  Spirits  are  led  by 
4  the  Lord,  and  nothing  ever  proceeds  from  the  Lord  but  holy 

4  good  and  holy  truth  The  reason  why  the  wrestler 

4  called  himself  God,  was  because  Jacob  believed  it,  like  his 


*  'Deuteronomy,'  ix.  4  to  6. 
t  1  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  9,320. 


t  1  Deuteronomy,'  vii.  2. 
g  1  Genesis,'  xxxii.  24  to  30. 


362 


TRUTH  AN  INVERSION  OF  APPEARANCE. 


4  posterity,  who  fancied  that  Jehovah  was  in  their  external 
4  sanctity,  when  yet  He  was  only  representatively  present. 
4  They  believed  also,  that  Jehovah  led  into  temptations,  that 
4  all  evil  was  from  Him,  and  that  He  was  in  anger  and  fury 
4  when  they  were  punished ;  xclierefore  according  to  their  belief 
4  it  is  so  expressed  in  the  TT  ore?,  when  yet  Jehovah  never  leads 
4  into  temptations,  neither  is  any  evil  in  any  case  from  Him, 
4  neither  is  He  ever  in  anger,  still  less  in  fury.'* 

With  this  principle  in  hand,  that  the  letter  of  the  Scrip- 
tures is  not  the  absolute  truth,  but  merely  a  statement  of  the 
appearance  of  the  truth  to  the  Jews,  Swedenborg  evades  the 
whole  series  of  charges  brought  against  the  Divine  justice 
and  goodness  on  the  supposition,  that  Jehovah  was  in  reality 
what  Jewish  history  represents  Him  to  be.  As  Sir  John 
Herschel  says  in  regard  to  Astronomy — 

4  Almost  all  its  conclusions  stand  in  open  and  striking 
4  contradiction  to  those  of  superficial  and  vulgar  observation, 
4  and  with  what  appears  to  every  one,  till  he  has  understood 
4  and  weighed  the  proofs  to  the  contrary,  the  most  positive 
4  evidence  of  his  senses — ' 

So  Swedenborg  would  have  us  believe,  that  the  spirit  of 
the  Word  is  as  frequently  a  complete  inversion  of  the  letter 
as  are  many  of  the  sure  conclusions  of  Astronomy  inversions 
4  of  superficial  and  vulgar  observation,'  and  4  the  most  positive 
4  evidence  of  the  senses.' 

On  the  stage  of  Canaan,  then,  the  Israelites  played  a 
Church. 

TJiemselveSj  their  Land,  their  Laic,  their  Worship  were  all 
,  Symbolic. 

Jesus  in  His  walk  with  the  disciples  to  Emmaus,  4  begin- 
4  ning  at  Moses  and  all  the  Prophets  expounded  to  them  in  all 


*   Arcana  thUstia.'  No.  4,307. 


THE  INNER  SENSE  OF  JEWISH  HISTORY. 


363 


4  the  Scriptures  the  things  concerning  Himself/  and  theologians 
from  the  earliest  times  have  delighted  in  discovering  or  invent- 
ing analogies  between  J ewish  History  and  Christian  Life  ;  but 
I  question  whether  it  ever  entered  into  any  mind  to  conceive 
the  infinite  correspondence  between  the  two  which  Sweden- 
borg  asserts. 

4  All  things  comprised  in  the  Jewish  nation,  collectively 
4  and  individually,  represented  the  Lord  and  the  celestial  and 
1  spiritual  things  of  His  Kingdom.  Hence  Canaan  was  called 
4  the  Holy  Land,  although  nothing  could  be  less  holy,  being 
4  inhabited  by  profane  and  idolatrous  people.'* 

Nor  were  the  scenery  of  Canaan  and  the  deeds  of  the 
Jews  alone  symbolic  of  the  Lord  and  His  Kingdom,  but  trans- 
formed to  writing  the  record  constitutes  the  Word  in  which — 

4  There  is  not  even  an  iota,  or  apex,  or  little  twirl  of  the 
4  letters,  which  does  not  contain  a  Divine  principle.  ...  It 
4  has  been  shewn  me  from  Heaven,  that  in  the  Word,  not 
4  only  every  expression,  but  also  every  syllable,  and,  what  is 
4  incredible,  every  little  twirl  of  a  syllable  in  the  Hebrew 
4  involves  what  is  holy.  That  this  is  the  case  I  can  positively 
4  assert,  but  I  know,  that  it  transcends  belief.' f 

It  is  Swedenborg's  business  in  the  1 Arcana  Ccelestia'1  to  dis- 
cover this  Divine  principle  in  Genesis  and  Exodus,  and  to  this 
end  he  devotes,  as  we  have  observed,  eight  quartos.  Within 
the  letter  of  these  books  he  discerns  in  general  two  senses,  an 
inner  or  Spiritual  Sense,  and  an  inmost  or  Celestial  Sense, 
and  professes  to  draw  therefrom  a  whole  cycle  of  information 
relating  to  Jesus  Christ,  His  incarnation,  His  temptations,  and 
His  glorification ;  also  concerning  Man,  his  will  and  under- 
standing, his  regeneration  or  damnation,  and  about  Angels 
and  their  Heavens,  and  Devils  and  their  Hells. 


*  1  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  1,097  and  1,437. 
f  'Arcana  Ccelestia;  No.  9,349. 


364 


THE  6  PI  HIT  UAL  MEANING  OP  JUDAISM. 


4  This  internal  sense  of  the  Word  has  heretofore  been  known 
4  to  no  man ;  nor  could  it  be  known,  because  the  world  even  the 
4  learned  part  of  it,  has  imagined,  that  the  historical  relations  of 
4  the  Word  are  merely  histories,  and  infold  nothing  deeper. 

4  It  has  indeed  been  maintained,  that  every  iota  is  divinely 
4  inspired,  but  no  more  was  thereby  meant,  than  that  certain 
4  historical  facts  were  made  known  by  revelation,  and  that 
4  from  them  certain  tenets  may  be  deduced  useful  to  faith,  and 
4  profitable  to  the  teacher  and  the  taught ;  also,  that  the  narra- 
4  tives  being  divinely  inspired  have  a  divine  influence  on  men's 
4  minds,  and  are  operative  of  good  above  all  other  histories. 

4  Mere  histories,  however,  considered  in  themselves,  have 
4  little  effect  in  human  amendment ;  nor  are  they  of  any  use 
4  in  the  future  life,  where  they  sink  into  oblivion.  Of  what 
4  use  in  eternity  will  it  be  to  know,  that  Hagar  was  a  servant- 
4  maid,  and  that  she  was  given  to  Abraham  by  Sarah  ?  or  to 
4  know  the  history  of  Ishmael,  or  even  that  of  Abraham  ? 

4  Nothing  is  required  to  qualify  Souls  for  Heaven,  but 
4  what  relates  to  the  Lord  and  is  from  the  Lord.  For  the 
4  communication  of  these  means  to  Heaven  the  Word  was 
4  given,  and  these  means  the  Scriptures  interiorly  contain. 

4  Apart  from  the  Internal  Sense  there  is  no  more  Divinity 
4  in  the  Scriptures  than  in  any  other  history.  The  Internal 
4  Sense  alone  makes  the  narrative  Divine.'* 

It  would  be  difficult  without  actual  inspection  to  obtain 
any  idea  of  the  wealth  of  meaning,  which  Swedenborg  alleges 
he  reads  off  from  the  symbolic  letter  of  Jewish  history. 

4  The  rituals  of  the  Jewish  Church  embrace  the  arcana  of 
4  the  Christian  Church.  They  to  whom  the  meaning  of  these 
4  rituals  is  opened  may  in  this  life  discern  the  arcana  of  the 
4  Lord's  Church,  and  when  they  pass  into  another  life,  the 
4  arcana  of  His  Kingdom  in  the  Heavens. 


*  'Arcana  Occlcslia,"  Nos.  1,540  and  1880. 


ETERNAL  VALUE  OF  JUDAISM. 


365 


4  Infinite  and  ineffable  things  exist  within  the  letter  of 
4  every  part  of  the  Word,  although  to  those  whose  ideas  are 
4  sealed  it  appears  a  simple  history.'* 

Granting  these  premises  it  is  in  nowise  surprising,  that  he 
should  fill  eight  quarto  volumes  with  the  exposition  of  Genesis 
and  Exodus.  Save  in  the  limit  of  human  endurance  there  is 
no  cause  why  he  should  not  have  gone  on  to  eighty  or  eight 
hundred. 

In  the  Jewish  Economy  down  to  the  most  trivial  particulars 
he  saw  God  and  Heaven  manifested,  and  it  stands  to  reason, 
that  eternity  alone  is  adequate  to  their  discussion.  To  Mr. 
Emerson's  inquiry,  4  What  have  I  to  do  with  jasper  and  sar- 
4  donyx,  beryl  and  chalcedony,  what  with  arks  and  passovers, 
4  ephahs,  heave  offerings  and  unleavened  bread ;  what  with 
4  chariots  of  fire  and  ephods ;  what  with  lepers  and  omerods ; 
4  what  with  dragons  crowned  and  horned,  behemoth  and 
1  unicorn  ? '  Swedenborg  would  answer,  4  Everything :  these, 
4  which  you  think  obsolete,  old-world  rubbish,  are  types  of 
4  eternal  realities,  are  springs  of  perennial  life :  if  only  you 
4  approach  them  in  the  light  of  the  science  of  Correspondences, 
4  which  Science  I  have  been  commissioned  by  the  Lord  to 
4  revive,  they  will  be  found  oracles  of  wisdom,  to  which  the 
4  haughtiest  in  your  enlightened  age  will  do  well  if  he 
4  reverently  attend.' 

There  is  not  a  syllable  in  the  Scriptures,  which  Sweden- 
borg does  not  maintain  to  be  pregnant  with  life  and  meaning; 
genealogies  and  lists  of  names  and  numbers  not  excepted. 

4  The  names  and  numbers  of  the  Word  are  arranged  in 
4  series  of  exquisite  connection,  and  involve  heavenly  arcana. 'f 

The  Jews  ignorant  of  their  own  Symbolism. 
The  Jews  were  quite  unconscious  of  the  drift  of  the  drama 


*  ■  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  3,478,  4,772;  6,617,  6620,  and  8,920. 
f  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  482,  1,224,  1,888,  and  2,395. 


366 


THE  CAUSE  OF  JEWISH  IGNORANCE. 


in  which  they  were  engaged;  they  had  no  idea  whatever  of 
the  mysteries  which  lay  within  their  law  and  history. 

1  The  Israelites  more  than  any  people  adored  external 
'  things,  and  made  all  holiness,  yea,  everything  Divine  to 
1  consist  therein. 

1  They  had  no  other  opinion  concerning  their  rituals,  than 
1  that  Divine  worship  consisted  in  their  performance,  and  were 
L  utterly  regardless  of  what  they  represented  and  signified. 
L  They  did  not  know,  nor  were  they  willing  to  know  the 
'  inner  meaning  of  their  ceremonies ;  nor  that  there  was  a  life 
1  after  death,  or  any  Heaven  ;  but  they  were  a  people  altogether 
1  sensual  and  corporeal. 

4  Worship  with  them  was  therefore  merely  idolatrous ;  for 
4  every  rite  which  is  unconnected  with  an  inward  spiritual 
4  principle  of  charity  is  nothing  but  a  superstition  and  idolatry. 
1  Hence  the  Jews  were  prone  to  worship  any  gods  whatever, 
L  provided  only,  they  were  persuaded,  that  such  gods  would 
4  cause  them  to  prosper.'* 

Why  they  icere  thus  ignorant. 

4  They  had  no  desire  to  know  spiritual  things,  for  they 
1  were  immersed  in  the  lusts  of  self-love. 

4  They  were  in  heart  idolators,  and  absolutely  united  as  to 
4  love  with  Devils  in  Hell. 

4  Had  spiritual  truths  therefore  been  made  known  to  them, 
4  they  would  have  utterly  denied  and  contemned  them,  and 
4  would  thereby  have  profaned  interior  goods  and  truths,  as 
4  they  profaned  exterior  by  becoming  open  idolators.  This  is 
4  the  reason  why  interior  truths  are  so  rarely  extant  in  the 
letter  of  the  Old  Testament.'t 

Profanation,  or  the  reception  of  goodness  and  truth,  and 


*  'Arcana  CaUestia,'  Nos.  3,479,  4,208,  4,281,  4,444,  8,588,  and  8,788. 
f  1  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  3,373,  3,479,  4,847,  and  10,490. 


DANGER  OF  PROFANATION. 


367 


subsequent  relapse  into  evil  and  falsehood,  is  described  by 
Swedenborg  as  the  most  terrible  of  calamities;  the  lot  of 
profaners  in  the  other  life  being  that  of  the  worst  of  Devils. 
Hence  it  is  the  constant  effort  of  the  Divine  Providence  to 
prevent  Man  from  ascending  heights  from  which  it  is  foreseen 
he  will  drop  into  irretrievable  perdition.  It  is  better  to  remain 
bad  than  to  become  good  and  fall  back  into  wickedness;  to 
remain  in  gloom  than  to  enter  into  light  and  return  to  dark- 
ness. For  this  cause  the  Jews  were  kept  in  ignorance,  4  for 
4  they  were  capable  of  profaning  truth  more  than  any  people. 

4  Had  they  known  the  inner  truths  of  the  Word  and  the 
4  meaning  of  their  rituals  and  at  the  same  time  had  lived  in 
4  their  natural  temper,  in  self-love  and  love  of  the  world,  in 
4  hatred  and  revenge  among  themselves,  and  in  cruelty  and 
4  contempt  towards  the  Gentiles,  they  would  have  committed 
4  profanation  and  gone  to  the  deepest  damnation.  Wherefore 
4  spiritual  truth  was  withheld  from  them  as  far  as  possible,  in- 
4  somuch,  that  they  did  not  even  know,  that  they  were  to  live 
4  after  death. 

4  As  the  character  of  the  Jews  remains  unchanged  they 
4  are  still  withheld  from  faith,  though  they  live  in  the  midst  of 
4  Christendom. 

4  That  the  Jewish  nation  could  not  receive  interior  truths, 
4  howsoever  they  might  have  been  revealed  to  them,  is  manifest 
4  from  the  Jews  of  the  present  day ;  for  they  are  acquainted 
4  with  interior  things,  inasmuch  as  they  dwell  among  Christians, 
4  but  still  they  reject  and  scoff  at  them.  Several  of  them 
4  likewise,  who  have  become  Christians,  do  the  same  at  heart.'* 

The  Use  of  the  Jewish  Church. 
Probably  and  very  pertinently  the  reader  will  inquire, 


*  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  302,  4,750-51,  4,847,  and  6,963. 


368  THE  USE  OF  THE  JEWISH  CHUBCH. 


4  What  was  the  good  of  this  sham  Church  instituted  by  Moses?' 
The  answer  supplied  by  Swedenborg  is  peculiar,  and  it  may 
not  be  easy  to  understand ;  but  I  shall  try  to  set  it  forth  plainly  ; 
and  the  answer,  if  comprehended,  will  furnish  a  key  to  a  large 
area  of  Swedenborgian  doctrine. 

We  die,  we  shed  our  grosser  bodies,  and  find  ourselves  in 
the  Spiritual  World,  but  our  connection  with  Earth  is  not 
thereby  dissolved. 

1  The  Spiritual  and  Natural  Worlds  are  so  connected  with 
1  each  other,  that  they  are  incapable  of  separation,  particularly 
c  with  respect  to  Glen's  interiors,  which  are  called  Souls  and 
4  Minds :  these,  if  good  are  united  with  the  Souls  and  Minds 
4  of  Angels,  but  if  evil  with  the  Souls  and  Minds  of  Devils. 
4  Such  is  the  nature  of  this  union,  that  if  Angels  and  Spirits 
4  were  to  be  removed  from  a  Man  he  would  instantly  fall  down 
4  dead  like  a  stock  or  a  stone ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  Angels, 
4  and  Spirits  could  not  subsist  if  they  were  deprived  of  their 
4  support  and  resting  place  in  Mankind.'* 

Death  gives  us  the  freedom  of  the  Inner  World,  but  the 
floor  of  our  existence  remains  on  Earth.  We  are  to  consider 
the  Good  of  Earth  as  the  basis  of  Heaven,  and  the  Evil  of 
Earth  as  the  basis  of  Hell.  The  communion  of  Saints — the 
commmiion  of  Devils — is  to  Swedenborg  no  empty  phrase, 
but  the  expression  of  a  momentous  reality. 

4  Heaven  and  the  Church  constitute  together  one  body, 
4  whose  soul  and  life  is  the  Lord  Jehovah,  who  is  our  Lord, 
4  the  Saviour.' f 

Heaven  being  thus  rooted  in  the  Church,  serious  conse- 
quences naturally  arise  when  the  Church  becomes  diminished 
or  degenerated. 

4  When  the  Church  on  Earth  is  desolated  by  falses  and 
4  consummated  by  evils  the  Angels  bitterly  lament.    At  such 


*  1  Vera  Christiana  Ecligio,'  No.  118. 


f  '  Coronis,'  No.  15. 


THE  USE  OF  THE  JEWISH  CHURCH. 


369 


1  times  they  compare  their  state  of  life  to  sleepiness,  for  then 
1  Heaven  is  to  them  like  a  seat  withdrawn,  or  like  a  body 
4  deprived  of  its  feet ;  but  when  the  Church  is  restored  by  the 
4  Lord,  they  compare  their  state  of  life  to  wakefulness.'* 

Such  became  the  plight  of  the  Angels  as  the  Ancient  Church 
declined  into  idolatry  and  magic ;  and  to  prevent  Heaven  from 
lapsing  into  chaos,  through  the  loss  of  a  foundation,  the  Jewish 
Church  was  instituted.  Here  comes  a  difficult  point,  which 
it  may  be  hard  to  render  clear.  The  infernal  interiors  of  the 
Jews  could  not  of  course  furnish  a  ground  for  angelic  habita- 
tion, but  their  rituals  were  in  this  manner  rendered  efficacious 
for  the  purpose. 

1  The  Israelites  were  capable  of  being  kept  in  a  holy  ex- 
1  ternal  principle,  and  thus  of  possessing  holy  rituals,  whereby 
1  were  represented  the  things  of  the  Lord's  Kingdom ;  they 
1  had  also  a  holy  veneration  for  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob, 
1  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  for  David,  by  whom  the  Lord 
1  was  represented,  and  especially  for  the  Word,  in  which  all 
'  and  singular  were  representative  and  significative  of  things 
*  Divine.' f 

To  this  assertion  let  us  add  the  consideration,  that  among 
the  Angels  there  are  countless  grades  of  intelligence — 

1  There  are  Angelic  Spirits,  who  are  simple  and  who  do 
1  not  perplex  themselves  with  profound  ideas,  taking  no  con- 
1  cern  with  the  internal  states  of  Men,  but  merely  with  their 
i  external.    If  Men  appear  holy  they  are  satisfied.' | 

These  simple  Angels  perceived  the  heavenly  meaning  of 
the  Mosaic  ritual  and  the  awe  with  which  it  was  performed  by 
the  Jews,  and  in  their  sanctimony  they  rested.  The  upper 
Angels  incapable  of  association  with  a  race  so  vile  as  Israel 


*  '  Coronis,'  No.  18. 

t  'Arcana  Cadestia,1  No.  3,479. 

i  1  Arcana  CmleMiaS  No.  8,588. 


370 


THE  DIVINE  INCARNATION. 


were  nevertheless  able  to  unite  themselves  to  their  simple 
brethren. 

In  this  way  then  the  Jewish  Church  was  made  serviceable 
as  the  means  of  conjunction  between  Heaven  and  Earth,  all 
other  means  having  failed. 

Two  other  uses  the  Jews  fulfilled,  so  closely  connected, 
that  they  might  almost  be  called  one.  First ;  their  character 
was  such,  that  their  history  could  become  a  revelation  of  God 
depicted  in  the  boldest  letters  of  flesh  and  blood  :  but  of  this 
more  hereafter  in  another  chapter.  Second ;  their  sensual 
stock  provided  the  unique  instrument  for — 

The  Divine  Incarnation. 

When  in  the  course  of  time  the  foundation  of  the  Heaven* 
in  Jewish  sanctimony  gave  way,  to  save  Humanity  from  de- 
struction, Jehovah  made  His  appearance  in  Jesus  Ghrirt.  In 
the  body  derived  from  the  Virgin  He  did  not,  as  the  Roman 
Catholics  say,  assume  immaculate  innocence ;  but  on  the  con- 
trary He  took  from  Mary  a  body  in  which  were  concentrated 
by  hereditary  transmission  the  lust,  the  pride,  the  avarice,  the 
hatred  of  Judaism  as  developed  in  consummate  fullness  and 
vigour  in  the  royal  line  of  David. 

In  that  body,  whose  every  faculty  was  an  avenue  to  the 
Hells,  He  met  as  on  a  battle  field,  the  Powers  of  Evil  and 
Darkness,  and  subdued  them.* 


*  1 1  stand  here,  a  witness  for  the  Lord  Jesus  to  tell  men  what  he  did  for 
1  them  ;  and  what  lie  did  was  this. — He  took  your  flesh  and  made  it  holy  : 
1  and  therefore  He  will  make  every  one  holy,  who  believes  in  Him.  He 
•  came  into  your  battle  and  trampled  under  foot  Satan,  the  world,  the  flesh. 
1  yea,  all  enemies  of  living  men  ;  and  He  saith  to  every  one,  u  Be  ye  holy. 
'  "  for  I  am  holy."  Do  you  say  that  Man  was  unacquainted  with  the  warrings 
1  of  the  flesh  ?  I  dare  ye  to  say,  that  the  Lord  our  Saviour  had  an  easier 
'  passage  through  life  than  you  had.  I  dare  ye  to  say,  that  His  work  was  a 
1  holiday  work.  Can  ye  follow  in  His  footsteps,  if  He  did  not  d"  the  work  ?' 
Edward  Irving.  Quoted  by  Mrs.  Oliphant  in  her  1  Lift  of  Irvinq,'  Vol.  EL 
page  345. 


THE  LORD  ROSE  WITH  A  PERFECT  BODY. 


371 


As  He  conquered,  He  transformed  the  infirm  organization 
received  from  Mary  into  a  Divine  organization.  Incarnate  in 
Judaism  He  fulfilled  its  higher  and  inner  Law  under  the  worst 
possible  conditions.  He  conformed  perfectly  the  fallen  human 
inheritance  from  the  Virgin  to  the  Divine  Will — of  which 
Will  the  Jewish  Law  was  a  coarse  emblem. 

As  the  body  from  Mary  was  a  summary  of  Judaism,  we 
therefore,  by  analogy,  discern  in  the  words  and  deeds  of 
Hebrew  Patriarchs,  Prophets  and  Kings  the  life  and  expe- 
rience of  Jesus  Christ. 

Made  one  with  God,  the  body  of  Christ  became  an  im- 
movable and  everlasting  foundation  for  the  Heavens  and  a 
perpetual  origin  for  the  Church. 

Swedenborg,  very  carefully,  in  many  repetitions  sets  forth, 
that  our  Saviours  resurrection  was  altogether  diverse  from 
man's.  Our  bodies  we  shall  lay  in  the  grave  and  we  our- 
selves pass  as  Spirits  into  Heaven  or  Hell ;  but  He  rose  from 
the  tomb  with  a  body  perfect  to  ultimates. 

1  That  the  Lord  wa3  conceived  of  Jehovah  the  Father,  and 
1  was  thus  God  from  conception,  is  a  known  thing  in  the 
4  Church ;  and  also,  that  He  rose  again  with  His  whole  body, 
4  for  He  left  nothing  in  the  sepulchre  ;  of  which  He  also  con- 
1  firmed  His  disciples,  saying,  "  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet, 
4  u  that  it  is  I  myself :  handle  me  and  see ;  for  a  Spirit  hath 
4  u  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have :  "  and  although  He 
4  was  a  man  as  to  flesh  and  bones,  yet  He  entered  in  through 
4  the  doors,  that  were  shut,  and  after  that  He  manifested 
4  Himself,  He  became  invisible.*  The  case  is  otherwise  with 
4  every  man ;  for  man  rises  at  death  only  as  to  his  spirit,  and 
4  not  as  to  his  body. 

4  The  Lord  before  His  advent  into  the  world  was  indeed 


*  Luke,  xxiv.  39;  John,  xx.  19. 


2  b  2 


372 


THE  BODY  FROM  MARY  DISSIPATED. 


4  present  with  the  members  of  the  Church,  but  then  His 
1  presence  was  mediate  through  the  Angels,  who  represented 
4  Him ;  whereas  since  His  advent  He  is  present  immediately 
4  with  the  Church  and  Mankind.'* 

Along  with  these  assertions  we  must  read  the  following — 

1  When  Man  is  regenerated  he  is  made  new  and  altogether 
4  another  person ;  wherefore  he  is  said  to  be  bora  again  and 
4  created  anew.  From  this  image  it  may  in  some  measure  be 
4  conceived  what  the  glorification  of  the  Lord  was. 

4  Yet  He  was  not  regenerated  as  Man  is,  but  was  made 
4  Divine,  and  this  from  the  veriest  Divine  Love,  for  He  was 
4  made  Divine  Love  itself. 

4  The  Lord  in  the  course  of  the  most  grievous  temptation 
4  combats,  f  reduced  all  things  in  Himself  so  completely  to 
4  Divine  Order,  that  nothing  whatever  remained  of  the  hu- 
4  inanity  He  had  from  the  mother ;  so  that  He  was  not  made 
4  new,  as  another  man,  but  altogether  Divine. 

4  He  utterly  put  off  what  was  maternal  and  material  so 
4  that  He  was  no  longer  the  Son  of  Mary,  but  God  Himself 
4  manifest  as  Man.'} 

The  function  of  the  Jewish  Church  being  thus  superseded 
by  Jesus  Christ,  its  members  were  scattered  over  the  earth, 
and — 


*  1  Arcana  Caslestia,'  No?.  1,729,  5,078,  9,315,  10,044,  10,125,  10,252, 
10,733,  and  10,825,  and  1  Vera  Christiana  Rdigio;  No.  109. 

f  1 1  believe  that  ray  Lord  did  come  down  and  toil,  and  sweat,  and  travail, 
'  in  exceeding  great  sorrow,  in  this  mass  of  temptation,  with  which  I  and 
'  every  sinful  man  am  oppressed ;  did  bring  His  Divine  presence  into  death- 
1  possessed  humanity.  .  .  did  suffer  its  sorrows  and  pains,  and  swimming 
1  anguish,  its  darkness,  wasteness,  disconsolateness,  and  hiddenne^s  from  the 
'  countenance  of  God  ;  and  by  His  faith  and  patience  did  win  for  Himself  the 
'  name  of  the  Man  of  Sorrows  and  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith.' 
Eoward  Irving.    Mrs.  Oliphant's  'Life  of  Irving,1  Vol.  EL,  page  109. 


i  1  Arcana  Ocdestia:  Nos.  2,150,  2,810,  3,212,  3.318,  4.727,  and  0,135 


FOUR  CHURCHES  SINCE  CREATION. 


373 


The  Christian  Church 

Was  established,  first  among  a  few  Jews  and  then,  as  is  always 
the  case  with  a  Xew  Church,  among  Gentiles. 

Into  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church,  Swedenborg 
enters  very  generally.  He  plainly  regards  it  as  a  mere 
scaffolding  and  preparation  for  a  nobler  and  an  eternal  struc- 
ture. That  it  should  fall  away  and  come  to  an  end  he  seems 
to  consider  a  matter  of  course,  asserting,  that  all  Churches 
begin  in  love  and  in  the  lapse  of  time  sink  into  mere  intellec- 
tual faith,  and  finish  up  in  hatred  and  false  doctrine. 

4  It  is  agreeable  to  Divine  Order,  that  there  should  have 
4  been  Four  Churches  on  this  earth  since  the  creation  of  the 
4  world.  Every  day  begins  with  morning,  advances  to  noon, 
4  and  closes  in  night,  and  after  that  begins  afresh ;  every  year 
4  too  commences  from  the  spring,  advances  through  summer 
4  to  autumn,  and  then  closes  in  winter,  and  after  that  enters 
4  on  a  new  beginning.  It  is  to  produce  these  effects,  that  the 
4  sun  rises  in  the  east,  proceeds  through  the  south  to  the  west, 
4  and  sets  in  the  north,  after  which  he  rises  again.  Similar  to 
4  this  is  the  case  with  the  Churches ;  the  first  of  them,  which 
4  was  the  Most  Ancient,  was  as  the  morning,  the  spring,  and 
4  the  east ;  the  second,  or  the  Ancient,  was  as  the  noon,  the 
4  summer,  and  the  south ;  the  third,'  [the  Jewish]  4  was  as  the 
4  evening,  the  autumn,  and  the  west ;  and  the  fourth,'  [the 
Christian]  4-was  as  the  night,  the  winter,  and  the  north. 
4  From  these  progressions  according  to  Order,  the  wise  An- 
4  cients  drew  their  conclusions  of  the  Four  Ages  of  the  World, 
4  the  first  of  which  they  called  Golden,  the  second  Silver,  the 
4  third  Copper,  and  the  fourth  Iron,  by  which  Metals  also  the 
4  Churches  themselves  were  represented  in  the  image  seen  by 
1  Nebuchadnezzar.'* 


*  'Vera  Christiana  Religio,'  No.  762;  1  Coronis,'  Nos.  2  to  17;  'Arcana 
1  Ocelestia,'  Nos.  1,834,  2,231,  and  4,683. 


374 


ALL  CHURCHES  FALL  TO  RUIN'. 


This  correspondence,  often  repeated  by  onr  Author,  limps 
sadly.  After  what  we  have  read  of  the  Jewish  Church, 
analogy  is  driven  into  strange  contradiction  when  that  Church 
is  likened  to  evening,  autumn,  and  copper,  and  the  Church  of 
the  Apostles  to  night,  winter,  and  iron  !• 

What  is  true  of  the  Four  Churches  as  a  -whole  is  true  of 
each  Church  j  each  has  had  its  spring,  summer,  autumn,  and 
winter,  its  morning,  noon,  evening,  and  night.  Varying  the 
comparison  to  human  life,  he  writes — 

4  It  is  with  the  Church  in  general  as  with  Man  in  particular. 
*  His  first  state  is  a  state  of  innocence,  of  love  to  his  parents, 
4  his  nurse  and  infant  companions ;  his  second  state  is  a  state 
4  of  light,  for  when  the  infant  becomes  a  boy,  he  acquires  and 
4  believes  truth ;  his  third  state  is  when  he  begins  to  love  the 
4  world  and  himself,  and  just  as  these  loves  increase  faith 
4  decreases,  and  with  faith,  love  to  God  and  the  neighbour ;  his 
4  fourth  and  last  state  is  when  he  has  no  concern  about  truths, 
4  and  especially  when  he  denies  them. 

1  Such  states  are  also  the  states  of  every  Church  from  its 
4  beginning  to  its  end.'t 

Following  out  this  idea  he  tells  us  

1  All  the  members  of  the  primitive  Christian  Church  lived 
4  as  brethren  in  mutual  love :  but  in  process  of  time,  charity 
4  diminished  and  at  length  vanished  away :  and  as  charity 
1  vanished,  evils  succeeded,  and  with  evils,  false*,  whence  arose 
4  schisms  and  heresies.  These  would  never  have  existed  if 
4  charity  had  continued  to  live  and  rule ;  for,  in  such  ca-e,  they 
4  would  not  have  called  schism  bv  the  name  of  schism,  nor 


*  In  another  place  we  find  him  saying,  1  The  Christian  Church  compared 
'  to  the  Most  Ancient  was  as  the  light  of  the  moon  and  stars  by  night  to  the 
1  light  of  the  sun  by  day  ;'  and  again,  '  The  internals  of  the  Christian  and 
4  Ancient  Churches  were  precisely  similar ;  they  did  not  differ  in  the  least 
'  except  in  externals." — 1  Arcana  CcdcstiaJ1  Nos.  4,430  and  1,083. 

t  1  Arcanu  Ckekstio,'  No.  10,134. 


DEVASTATED  CHRISTENDOM. 


375 


4  heresy  by  the  name  of  heresy,  but  doctrines  agreeable  to 
4  each  disciple's  way  of  thinking.  These  they  would  have  left 
*  to  every  one's  conscience,  neither  judging  nor  condemning 
4  any  one  for  his  opinions,  provided  he  did  not  deny  funda- 
4  mental  principles,  such  as  the  Lord,  Eternal  Life,  and  the 
4  Word,  and  maintained  nothing  contrary  to  Divine  Order, 
4  that  is  to  the  Ten  Commandments.'* 
In  the  same  strain  he  writes — 

4  The  several  Churches  of  the  Christian  world  are  dis- 
4  tinguished  by  their  doctrines  and  hence  have  taken  the  names 
4  of  Roman  Catholics,  Lutherans,  Calvinists  and  many  others. 
4  These  distinctions  never  would  have  been  made,  if  love  to 
4  the  Lord  and  the  neighbour  had  remained  the  chief  article 
4  of  faith.' f 

Of  the  Christian  Church  in  the  long  centuries  between  its 
rise  and  his  own  time,  Swedenborg  has  nothing  to  say.  In 
fact,  he  shews  no  sign  that  his  reading  ever  extended  into 
ecclesiastical  history  and  biography.  Of  one  thing  he  was 
certain — the  Christian  Church  had  come  to  its  end. 

4  The  Church  at  this  day  is  founded  on  opinion  and  not  on 
4  conduct.  He  who  believes  otherwise  than  the  Church  teaches, 
4  is  cast  out  of  its  communion  and  his  character  defamed ; 
4  but  he  who  thieves  (if  he  does  not  do  so  flagrantly)  lies, 
1  betrays  and  commits  adultery,  is  yet  called  a  Christian,  if 
4  only  he  frequents  a  place  of  worship  and  talks  piously. 

4  Christians  attend  church  and  are  in  some  degree  of 
4  holiness  whilst  there ;  they  receive  the  Holy  Supper,  they 
4  sometimes  indulge  in  sanctimonious  conversation,  and  they 
4  live  in  external  friendship.  To  the  outer  eye  they  display 
4  nothing  but  what  is  pleasant,  but  inwardly  they  are  altogether 


*  'Arcana  Ccelestia,'  No.  1,834.  Persecution  never  required  any  other 
warrant  than  the  reservation  beginning  with  provided. 

f  1  Arcana  CodeaUa^  No.  1,799. 


376 


DEVASTATED  CHRISTENDOM. 


4  different.  In  the  other  life  it  becomes  manifest,  that  they 
4  hated  each  other,  that  they  hated  the  truths  of  faith,  and 
4  especially,  that  they  hated  the  Lord ;  for  when  the  Lord  is 
4  merely  named  before  them,  their  spite,  aversion  and  contempt 
4  for  Him  break  forth  j  and  this  in  the  case  of  those,  who  in 
4  the  world  were  accustomed  to  speak  reverently  of  Him,  and 
4  who  had  preached  His  Gospel.  .  .  .  Such  are  Christians  at 
4  this  day  as  to  their  interiors,  except  a  few  who  are  not 
4  known.'* 

Of  the  Philosophy  of  the  time,  he  says — 

4  The  members  of  the  Christian  Church  at  this  day  believe 
4  nothing,  but  what  is  comprehended  by  their  Senses ;  and  not 
4  only  do  they  reason  from  the  Senses,  but  also  extend  such 
4  reasoning  to  Divine  Arcana  by  a  philosophy  unknown  to  the 
4  Ancients.  The  consequence  is,  that  intellectual  light  is 
4  utterly  darkened,  and  the  darkness  has  become  so  thick  as 
4  hardly  to  admit  of  being  dispersed.' f 

What  then  was  the  use  of  Swedenborg  venturing  abroad 
in  such  a  night?  may  be  asked.  He  answers — giving  the 
same  reason  for  the  new  advent  of  Christ  by  him  as  for  His 
first  advent  in  the  blackness  of  Judaism — 

4  At  this  day  there  is  scarcely  any  Faith,  because  there  is 
4  not  any  Charity.  It  is  the  Consummation  of  the  Age.  For 
( this  reason,  the  Arcana  of  the  Word  are  now  revealed, 
4  because  men  are  too  dull  to  profane  them. 

4  The  reason  why  the  interior  contents  of  the  Word  are 
4  now  opened,  is  because  the  Church  is  so  void  of  faith  and 
4  love,  that  although  men  know  and  understand,  still  they  do 
4  not  acknowledge  and  still  less  believe,  except  a  few,  who  are 
4  in  a  life  of  goodness  and  are  called  "  the  Elect." 

4  These  Elect  may  now  be  instructed,  and  amongst  them 


*  1  Arcana  Ccelestia,'  Nos.  4,689  and  3,489. 
f  'Arcana  Cakstiu:  No.  2,124. 


THE  DEVIL'S  CENTURY. 


377 


4  a  New  Church  is  about  to  be  established.  Where  these 
4  Elect  are,  the  Lord  alone  knows.  There  will  be  few  within 
4  the  Church.  New  Churches  in  former  times  were  raised  up 
4  among  the  Gentiles.'* 

The  badness  of  the  times  in  the  matter  of  education  was 
thus  shewn  to  him — 

4  There  was  represented  to  me  some  children,  who  were 
4  combed  by  their  mothers  so  cruelly,  that  blood  followed  the 
4  comb  :  by  which  was  represented,  that  such  is  the  education 
4  of  children  at  this  day.'f 

To  assign  proofs,  that  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  of  Europe 
had  last  century  reached  a  pitch  of  desolation  such  as  almost 
to  justify  the  saying,  that  the  Devil's  will  was  done  on  Earth 
as  in  Hell,  would  be  superfluous,  for  public  opinion  is  now 
very  generally  settled  as  to  the  fact,  and  our  Author  does  no 
more  than  corroborate  that  opinion  from  his  peculiar  stand- 
point. 

4  That  the  Last  Judgement  is  at  hand  cannot  so  plainly 
4  appear  on  Earth  and  within  the  Church  as  in  the  other  life, 
4  whither  all  Souls  come  and  flock  together.  The  World  of 
4  Spirits  J  is  at  this  day  full  of  Evil  Genii  and  Evil  Spirits, 
4  chiefly  from  the  Christian  World,  amongst  whom  there  reigns 
4  nothing  but  hatred,  revenge,  cruelty,  obscenity  and  treach- 
4  erous  machinations. 

4  The  Souls  who  arrive  from  Christendom  have  scarcely 
4  any  other  thought  and  purpose  than  how  to  become  the 
4  greatest  and  possess  all  things,  so  utterly  are  they  consumed 


*  1  Arcana  Ccdestia?  Nos.  3,398  and  3,898. 
f  1  Arcana  CalestiaS  No.  2,125. 

%  The  World  of  Spirits  is  neither  Heaven  nor  Hell,  but  an  intermediate 
place  or  state  between  both,  into  which  man  enters  immediately  after  death  ; 
and  then,  after  a  certain  time,  the  duration  of  which  is  determined  by  his 
condition  of  mind,  he  is  either  elevated  into  Heaven,  or  cast  into  Hell. 


378  THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE. 


4  with  self-love  and  love  of  the  world.  Many  of  them  enter- 
4  tain  no  other  than  filthy,  lecherous  and  profane  thoughts,  and 
1  talk  of  nothing  else  among  themselves  ;  besides  they  make 
4  light  of  and  altogether  despise  whatever  relates  to  charity 
4  and  faith  ;  they  even  do  not  acknowledge  the  Lord,  and  hate 
4  those  who  do :  for  in  the  other  life  the  heart  and  mind  are 
1  manifest. 

4  Moreover  hereditary  evils,  accumulated  from  the  wicked- 
4  ness  of  past  generations,  are  become  most  malignant,  and, 
4  like  fires  hid  and  cherished  inwardly,  stimulate  men  to  more 
4  atrocious  profanation  than  heretofore  of  all  that  i3  right  and 
4  pious. 

4  Such  are  the  Souls  which  pass  in  troops  at  thi3  day  from 
4  Earth  into  the  World  of  Spirits.'* 

The  Christian  Church  having  thus  attained  its  period,  the 
hour  for  the  birth  of  a  Xew  Church  had  arrived.  Swedenborg 
was  its  Apostle,  but  except  among  the  few  Elect,  whose 
whereabouts  were  unknown,  he  had  no  hope  of  adherents  from 
out  the  old  ecclesiasticism.  Possibly  after  the  failure  of  the 
4  Arcana  CcelestiaJ  in  a  mercantile  sense,  he  might  have 
adopted  the  language  of  Paul  and  Barnabas,  addressing  the 
Jews — 44  It  was  necessary,  that  the  Word  of  God  should  first 
44  have  been  spoken  to  you :  but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you, 
44  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we 
44  turn  to  the  Gentiles." t  Unlike  Paul  and  Barnabas  however 
he  made  no  effort  to  discover  the  Gentiles,  but  as  we  shall  see, 
kept  hammering  away  at  the  old  rocks  in  which  he  said  he 
knew  there  was  no  gold. 

Ilow  firmly  his  trust  was  set  on  the  Gentiles  appears  from 
many  passages,  such  a3  the  following  : — 

4  When  any  Church  becomes  no  Church,  that  is  when 


*  '  \mmm  (fafqtfff,!  No*  2, 121  and  2,122. 
t  Acts  xiii,  46- 


THE  CHURCH  TRANSFERRED  TO  GENTILES. 


379 


1  Charity  perishes,  and  a  New  Church  is  established  by  the 
4  Lord,  seldom,  if  ever,  does  the  establishment  take  place 
1  amongst  those  in  whom  the  Old  Church  existed,  but  with 
4  those  amongst  whom  there  was  heretofore  no  Church,  that 
1  is,  amongst  the  Gentiles.  Such  was  the  case  when  the  Most 
1  Ancient  Church,  the  Ancient  Church,  and  the  Jewish  Church 
4  perished.  The  same  will  be  the  case  with  the  Christian 
4  Church.     The  reason  for  this  transfer  is,  that  the  Gentiles 

*  are  influenced  by  no  false  principles  against  the  truths  of 
4  faith,  for  they  know  not  what  the  truths  of  faith  are. 

1  When  the  Old  Church  has  closed  Heaven  against  itself, 
4  a  New  Church  is  always  established  amongst  the  nations  out 
4  of  the  Church.  Hence  the  Church  was  translated  from  the 
4  Jews  to  the  Gentiles,  and  in  the  same  way  the  Church  at 
4  this  day  is  being  transferred  to  the  Gentiles.  .  .  .  What  is 
4  wonderful,  the  Gentiles  adore  one  God  under  a  Human  Form ; 

*  wherefore,  when  they  hear  of  the  Lord  they  receive  and 
4  acknowledge  Him ;  neither  can  a  New  Church  be  established 
4  amongst  others.'* 

Swedenborg's  opinion  of  the  Gentiles  from  experience  in 
the  Spiritual  World  was  very  high.  After  death,  those  of 
them  who  are  good,  are  instructed  in  true  doctrine  by  the 
Angels  and  received  into  Heaven. 

4  They  behave  modestly,  intelligently  and  wisely,  and 
4  easily  imbibe  the  truths  they  are  taught.  .  .  .  They  indulge 
4  no  hatred,  never  revenge  injuries,  never  practise  stratagem 
4  nor  artifice,  no,  nor  wish  ill  to  Christians,  although  Christians 
4  on  their  part  despise  the  Gentiles,  and  do  them  all  the  hurt 
1  they  can. 

4  There  are  some  Gentiles,  who  during  their  abode  in  the 
4  world  have  learnt,  that  Christians  lead  the  worst  of  lives, 
4  being  addicted  to  adultery,  hatred  and  quarrelling,  to 


*  'Arcana  CcdeMia,}  No*.  1,366,  2,986,  4,747  aud  9,256. 


380 


GENTILES  VERSUS  CHRISTIANS. 


4  drunkenness  and  like  enormities,  which  they  are  shocked  at 
4  as  contrary  to  their  laws,  manners,  and  religion.  These  dread 
4  more  than  others  to  accept  the  truths  of  faith,  but  when 
4  assured  by  the  Angels,  that  such  crimes  are  in  complete 
4  opposition  to  Christianity,  they  believe  and  adore  the  Lord, 
4  but  not  without  some  hesitation. 

4  Once  I  entered  into  discourse  with  some  Chinese  con- 
4  cerning  the  Lord,  but  when  I  called  Him  Christ,  a  kind  of 
4  repugnance  was  discernible  amongst  them.  The  cause  was 
4  perceived  to  be,  that  in  the  world  they  had  contracted  a 
4  prejudice  against  His  name,  by  observing  that  Christians  led 
4  worse  lives  than  Gentiles.  When  I  simply  called  Him  Lord 
4  they  were  inwardly  moved.  Afterwards  they  were  instructed 
4  by  the  Angels,  that  Christian  doctrine  inculcates  love  and 
4  charity  above  any  other  doctrine  in  the  whole  earth,  but  that 
4  there  are  few  who  live  according  to  it*'  * 

This  writing  accords  very  closely  with  the  notions  com- 
monly entertained  last  century  as  to  the  innocence  and  gentle- 
ness of  the  Pagan  nations;  an  opinion  which  Rousseau  was 
not  loath  to  use  against  civilization  and  Voltaire  against 
Christianity.  In  the  badness  of  Christians  we  fully  concur, 
but  our  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  heathens  has  com- 
pletely abolished  all  romance  about  their  virtue  in  comparison 
with  Europeans.  Swedenborg's  Gentiles  in  our  modern  light 
look  very  like  fancy  pictures. 

The  History  of  the  World  is  in  Swedenborg's  eyes  the 
History  of  the  Church.  The  Human  Race  is  to  him  One 
Great  Man  of  which  the  Church  is  the  brain,  the  heart  and 
the  lungs.  Without  a  Church,  Heaven  would  be  without  a 
Body  and  without  Heaven,  Mankind  would  vanish  away. 

4  There  cannot  be  conjunction  with  Heaven  unless  there 


*  4  Arcana  CitlestiaJ  Nos.  2,589  to  2,GUo. 


HUMANITY  ONE. 


381 


1  be  somewhere  on  Earth  a  Church,  where  the  Word  is,  and 
c  where  through  the  Word,  the  Lord  is  known ;  for  the  Lord 
4  is  God  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  and  without  Him  is  no  salvation. 
1  It  is  enough  that  there  be  a  Church  where  the  Word  is, 
1  although  it  should  consist  of  comparatively  few.  Through 
1  the  Church  the  Lord  is  present  everywhere  throughout  the 
*  Earth,  and  Heaven  is  conjoined  with  the  Human  Eace.'* 

It  is  essential  in  reading  Swedenborg  to  bear  in  mind,  that 
he  always  assumes  the  unity  of  Humanity  in  Heaven  on 
Earth  and  in  Hell.  Nothing  takes  place  in  one  which  does 
not  affect  the  others ;  and  both  Heaven  and  Hell  find  their 
body  and  basis  through  Man  on  Earth.  Let  the  reader  try 
to  compass  this  thought,  for  until  it  becomes  familiar  much 
in  Swedenborg  must  remain  obscure.  The  fact  which  is 
every  year  becoming  clearer  to  natural  philosophers,  that 
the  Universe  is  one,  ,and  that  the  least  things  in  our  little 
world  are  related  to  and  influenced  by  the  sun  and  the  far 
distant  stars,  Swedenborg  proclaims  to  be  true  of  Humanity. 
Humanity  is  one ;  Angels  and  Men  and  Devils  are  knit 
together  in  one  web  from  which  no  escape  is  possible.  To 
suppose  that  independence  or  isolation  can  exist  in  such  a 
system,  is  to  yield  to  the  wildest  illusion. 

Here  must  end  this  long  chapter.  It  will  not  be  imagined, 
that  in  this  sketch  of  the  Four  Churches,  comprising  the 
History  of  the  Heart  of  Humanity,  that  we  have  reviewed  the 
'Arcana  GodestiaP  we  have  merely  drawn  one  long  thread 
from  out  its  enormous  coil.  As  we  observed  at  starting  there 
is  little  of  value  in  Swedenborg,  which  may  not  be  found  some- 
where in  its  multitudinous  pages,  but  we  have  many  other 
reviews  to  make,  and  the  reader,  if  he  pleases,  may  fairly 
consider  them  as  extensions  of  the  present  survey. 


*  '  Scriptura  Sacra,'  No.  104. 


(    382  | 


CHAPTER  VI. 


LONDON  AND  STOCKHOLM. 


Sweden'boeg  during  the  seven  or  eight  years  (1749  to  1756) 
when  writing  and  printing  the  ''Arcana  Catlestia1  probal.lv 
passed  most  of  his  time  in  London,  making  occasional  trips  to 
Sweden.  That  he  was  out  of  London  in  1 750  is  plain  from 
the  bookseller  Lewis's  Advertisement,  in  which  he  says,  that 
the  manuscript  of  the  second  volume  of  the  'Arcana,'  was 
received  from  abroad,  and  that  £  the  bare  postage  of  Part  L 
{  was  twelve  shillings,  of  Part  EL  eighteen  shillings,  and  of 
Part  III.  twenty-two  shillings/  What  would  we  not  give 
for  some  more  lively  information  with  similar  precision ! 

"Where  Swedenborg  lodged  in  London  in  those  years 
we  do  not  know ;  but  most  likclv  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
his  printer,  Mr.  Hart,  of  Poppin's  Court,  Fleet  Street,  of 
whose  company,  it  is  said,  he  was  fond,  and  that  he  used 
to  spend  his  evenings  at  his  house.  A  short  way  to  the 
west  of  Poppin's  Court  is  Gough  Square,  where,  while 
Swedenborg  was  writing  his  4  Arcanaf  Johnson  (1747  to 
1755)  was  compiling  his  Dictionary  with  the  aid  of  six 
clerks.  In  Salisbury  Square,  on  the  other  side  of  Fleet 
Street,  Richardson  was  doing  a  thriving  trade  as  printer  and 
novelist  with  all  England  as  customers  for  '  Clarissa  Harloicc 
and  4  Sir  Charles  Grandison,  and  with  Goldsmith  for  his 
proof  reader.  Further  west,  on  the  same  side  of  the  street, 
young  William  Cowper  and  young  Edmund  Burke  were 
lodged  in  the  Middle  Temple  ;  but  I  can  find  no  sign,  that 
Johnson  or  Goldsmith  or  Burke  or  Cowper  ever  knew  even 


SWEDENBORG  IN  LONDON. 


383 


the  name  of  the  Seer  with  whom,  in  their  walks  through  Fleet 
Street,  they  must  have  rubbed  shoulders. 

With  his  publisher  Lewis  in  Paternoster  Kow,  we  wonder 
how  Swedenborg  got  on.  As  the  4  Arcana''  did  not  sell  Lewis 
as  a  tradesman  could  have  little  satisfaction  in  the  business, 
but  the  chances  are,  that  our  Author  kept  all  pleasant  by 
paying  liberally.  Mrs.  Lewis,  it  is  recorded,  4  thought  Sweden- 
c  borg  a  good  and  sensible  man,  but  too  apt  to  spiritualize 
1  things.' 

The  Moravians. 

As  Swedenborg's  mind  and  religious  principles  were  now 
settled  his  visits  to  the  Moravians  in  Fetter  Lane  would 
naturally  cease;  and  his  writings  prove,  that  from  their 
admirer  he  had  passed  into  their  censor,  or,  as  the  Brethren 
will  say,  into  their  traducer.    He  relates — 

4 1  have  had  much  conversation  with  the  people  called 
4  Moravians,  or  Heernhutters.  On  examining  them  it  was 
4  found,  that  they  were  cunning  in  the  art  of  conciliation, 
4  saying,  that  they  were  the  remains  of  the  Apostolic  Church, 
4  and  that  therefore  they  salute  each  other  as  brethren,  and 
4  those  who  receive  the  more  internal  of  their  mysteries,  as 
4  mothers ;  also,  that  they  teach  faith  better  than  the  rest  of 
4  mankind,  and  love  the  Lord,  because  He  endured  the  cross, 
4  calling  Him  the  Lamb,  and  the  Throne  of  Grace,  and 
4  similar  expressions,  by  which  they  beguile  men  into  the 
4  belief,  that  the  true  Christian  Church  is  among  them.  They 
4  examine  those  who  listen  to  their  smooth  harangues,  as  to 
4  whether  they  may  safely  entrust  them  with  their  mysteries ; 
4  which  mysteries  they  conceal  or  reveal  accordingly ;  en- 
4  deavouring  in  the  latter  case  by  admonition,  and  even  by 
4  threats,  to  prevent  the  betrayal  of  their  secret  doctrine 
4  concerning  the  Lord. 

4  Moravians  in  the  Spiritual  World  were  admitted  to  the 
4  outmost  Heaven,  but  unable  to  endure  the  presence  of  the 


384 


THE  MORAVIAN'S. 


4  Angels  there,  they  fled  away.  Afterwards  they  were  carried 
4  to  the  inmost  Heaven,  but  when  they  felt  its  sphere  of  love 
4  to  the  Lord,  they  were  seized  with  anguish  of  heart,  and 
4  began  to  suffer  inward  tortures,  and  to  move  convulsively 
4  like  persons  in  the  agony  of  death,  and  therefore  cast  them- 
4  selves  headlong  thence. 

4  The  minds  of  these  Moravians  were  explored  by  Spirits, 
4  whose  duty  it  is  to  make  such  inquisition,  who  reported,  that 
4  they  slight  the  Lord,  that  their  rejection  of  the  life  of  charity 
4  amounts  to  abhorrence,*  that  they  make  out  that  the  Word 
4  of  the  Old  Testament  is  useless,  and  despise  the  Evangelists, 
4  selecting  from  Paul,  according  to  their  good  pleasure,  what- 
4  ever  is  said  of  faith  alone :  and  that  these  are  their  mysteries, 
4  which  they  conceal  from  the  world. 

4  As  soon  as  it  became  apparent,  that  they  merely  acknow- 
4  ledge  the  Lord  as  the  Arians  do ;  despise  the  Word  of  the 
4  Prophets  and  Evangelists,  and  hold  a  life  of  Charity  in  abhor- 
4  rence,  they  were  adjudged  Anti-Christs,  as  rejecting  the  three 
4  essentials  of  the  Christian  Church,  namely,  the  Divinity  of 
4  the  Lord,  the  Word,  and  Charity,  and  were  banished  from 
4  among  Christians. 

4  When  Zinzendorf  first  came  into  the  Spiritual  World f 
4  and  was  permitted  to  speak  after  his  manner  on  earth,  I  heard 
4  him  solemnly  asserting,  that  he  knew  the  Mysteries  of 
4  Heaven,  and  that  no  one  enters  Heaven  who  is  not  of  his 
4  doctrine  ;  and  also,  that  they  who  do  good  works  for  the  sake 
4  of  salvation,  are  utterly  damned,  and  that  he  would  rather 


*  •  Christ  is  our  only  perfection.  All  perfection  is  faith  in  the  blood  of 
'  Christ.  It  is  imputed,  not  inherent.  We  are  perfect  in  Christ :  we  are 
1  never  perfect  in  ourselves.  We  reject  all  self-denial ;  we  trample  on  it. 
1  In  faith  we  do  whatever  we  desire,  and  nothing  more.  We  laugh  at  all 
1  mortification  :  no  purification  precedes  perfect  love.'  Zinzendorf  quoted  in 
1  Southey's  'Life  of  Wesley,'  Vol.  I.,  page  219,  ed.  of  1858. 

f  Zinzendorf  did  not  die  until  1700,  and  in  using  this  extract,  just  now, 

I  anticipate  a  little,  but  it  is  of  no  consequence. 


MORAVIANS  AND  QUAKERS. 


385 


1  admit  Atheists  into  his  congregation  than  such.  The  Lord, 
i  he  said,  was  adopted  by  God  the  Father  as  His  Son,  because 
'  He  endured  the  cross,  and  that  still  He  was  a  mere  man. 
*  When  it  was  said  to  him,  that  the  Lord  was  conceived  by  God 
4  the  Father,  he  replied,  that  he  thought  of  that  matter  as  he 
c  chose :  not  daring  to  speak  out  as  the  Jews  do.  * 

4  Moreover  I  have  perceived  many  scandals  from  his 
1  followers  when  I  have  been  reading  the  Evangelists. 

6  The  Moravians  say,  that  they  have  a  sensation  whereby 
4  they  experience  an  interior  confirmation  of  their  dogmas. 
t  It  was  shewn  them,  however,  that  the  sensation  proceeds 
4  from  visionary  Spirits,  who  confirm  a  man  in  all  his  religious 
i  notions,  and  enter  into  closer  conjunction  with  those,  who, 
i  like  the  Moravians,  are  fond  of  their  religion  and  think  much 
1  about  it.'f 

What  a  pity  Wesley  in  his  controversy  with  the  Moravians 
had  not  Swedenborg  for  an  ally !  He  would  have  been 
unanswerable. 

The  Quakers. 

If  the  Moravians  should  designate  the  above  report  slan- 
derous and  preposterous,  what  shall  the  Quakers  say  of  the 
following  ? 

'  30  October,  1748. — I  heard  the  Quakers  in  their  General 
c  Meeting,  and  though  they  spoke  of  the  Lord  yet  they 
1  recognize  three  persons.  They  also  acknowledge  the  Word, 
4  but  they  do  not  regard  it,  for  they  say,  that  they  likewise 
1  are  actuated  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  .  .  . 


*  1  Count  Zinzendorf  loved  to  keep  all  things  closely,'  testifies  Wesley. 
1  Zinzendorf  was  specious,  artful  and  insinuating,'  says  Alexander  Knox. 
Southey's  'Life  of  Wesley,'  Vol.  EL,  p.  70  and  322. 

f  '  Continaatio  de  Ultimo  Judicio,'  Nos.  86  to  90;  1  Diarium  Spirit  uale,' 
Nos.  5,988,  93,  and  95,  6043,  60,  62,  68,  74,  78:  and  81  ;  1  Diar.  Appendix,1 
p.  14,  16,  and  19. 


386 


QUAKERS. 


4  They  have  no  concern  about  the  Lord,  but*  only  for  the 
4  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  other  life  it  is  discovered  that  they 
1  abhor  Him  and  set  themselves  up  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  of 
'  which  they  continually  thought  whilst  on  earth  and  waited 
1  for  in  their  meetings. 

'  They  talk  but  little  and  divulge  scarcely  anything  of  what 
1  they  think.  It  was  said  they  have  no  settled  articles  of  faith, 
1  and  that  their  opinions  waver  with  the  influx  of  the  Spirit.'* 

Swedenborg  allows  that  the  Quakers  are  not  deceived  in 
thinking  themselves  under  supernatural  influence,  but  that 
the  Spirit  which  moves  them  is  not  Divine ;  on  the  contrarv, 
they  are  the  tools  of  4  enthusiastic  Spirits  who  are  so  grossly 
f  stupid  as  to  imagine  themselves  the  Holv  Spirit.'  These 
maniac  Spirits  enter  into  their  fullest  satisfaction  when  they 
find  men  and  women  willing  to  yield  themselves  to  their 
possession  and  to  share  in  their  phantasy,  4  that  thev  are  wiser 
4  and  holier  than  the  rest  of  mankind." 

At  first  Swedenborg  was  willing  to  think  well  of  the 
Quakers,  considering  them  4  honest  and  upright,  having  heard 
1  nothing  to  the  contrary,"  but  his  spiritual  experience  soon 
led  him  to  a  widely  different  conclusion.    He  writes — 

4  1  X  2  November,  1748. — When  I  awoke  in  the  night,  I 
4  felt  in  the  hair  of  my  head  a  multitude  of  very  small  snakes. 
4  It  was  perceived  that  Quaker  Spirits  had  been  plotting 
4  against  me  whilst  I  WW  ftflleep,  but  without  effect.  It  was 
4  onlv  bv  their  phantasies  that  they  were  among  my  hair  where 
4  I  felt  them.'t 

As  in  the  case  of  the  Moravian-  he  credits  the  Quakers 
with  the  possession  of  mysteries,  but  far  more  atrocious. 

4  28  October,  174*. — They  are  indomitably  obstinate  in 
4  their  aversion  to  having  their  thoughts  and  doings  made 


*  '  Diariitm  SpiritualeJ  Nos.  3,775  and  3,735. 
t  '  Diarhim  ASpirit'iale,1  No.  3,810. 


QUAKERS. 


387 


4  public.  The}'  strove  with  me  and  the  Spirits  who  desired 
4  (but  in  vain)  to  know  their  secrets.'* 

Swedenborg,  however,  was  not  to  be  baffled,  and  the  next 
day  made  him  master  of  their  mysteries. 

4  29  October ,  1748. — The  secret  worship  of  the  Quakers, 
4  sedulously  concealed  from  the  world,  was  made  manifest.  It 
4  is  a  worship  so  wicked,  execrable  and  abominable,  that  were 
4  it  known  to  Christians,  they  would  expel  Quakers  from 
4  society,  and  permit  them  to  live  only  among  beasts. 

4  They  have  a  vile  communion  of  wives.  The  women  say 
4  they  are  possessed  by  the  Devil,  and  that  they  can  only  be 
4  delivered  if  men  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  cohabit  with 
4  them.  Men  and  women  sit  round  a  table,  which  was  repre- 
4  sented  to  me,  and  wait  for  the  influx  of  the  Spirit.  .  .  . 
4  When  a  woman  feels  the  Devil,  she  selects  a  man  and  retires 
4  with  him' — but  it  is  impossible  to  extend  the  quotation  ; 
nevertheless  we  refrain  unwillingly.  The  decorum  which 
prescribes  our  reticence  is  essentially  immodest,  for  as  Dr. 
Johnson  said,  4  the  man  of  nice  words  is  the  man  of  nasty 
4  ideas.'  Swedenborg  writes  on  these  matters  with  the  child- 
like directness  of  the  Bible  (or  rather  say,  with  the  unim- 
passioned  simplicity  of  science) — a  directness  as  pure  as  our 
premeditated  daintiness  is  the  reverse. 

4  30  October. —  It  was  enquired  whether  the  Quakers 
4  engaged  in  these  obscene  rites  with  their  daughters  and 
4  maid-servants,  and  it  was  said,  that  they  did.  .  .  .  Parents 
4  do  not  resist  when  a  command  of  the  Spirit  is  pleaded.  They 
4  are,  however,  somewhat  withheld  by  the  fear,  lest  their 
4  virgins  should  become  mothers  before  they  are  married,  and 
4  thus  their  wickedness  come  to  light.  The  Quakers  desire  to 
4  appear  holy  and  blameless  before  men ;  hence  they  veil  their 
4  worship  in  profound  secrecy.'t 


*  '  Diarium  Spirituale,'  No.  3,751. 

f  »  Diarium  Sjrirituale,'  Nos.  3,765  and  3,766-69. 


2  c  2 


38$ 


QtJAK  BBS. 


k  It  was  shewn  me,  that  ever  since  the  rise  of  Quakerism, 
'  they  have  gone  on  from  bad  to  worse,  and  at  length,  by  com- 
4  maud  of  their  Holy  Spirit,  into  these  secret  abominations. 
4  I  conversed  with  their  founder,  as  well  as  with  Penn,  who 
4  told  me,  that  they  had  no  part  in  such  doings.  They  who 
1  practise  them  are  sent  down  after  death  into  a  dark  place 
4  where  they  sit  in  comers,  and  appear  like  dreg3  of  oiL** 

'  1  November,  1748. — It  was  said  to  me  by  an  angelic 
4  interpreter,  that  Quaker  Spirits  wander  about  in  thick  forests 
1  like  swine  ;  and  this,  because  of  their  avarice  and  nastiuess. 
4  It  was  said,  however,  that  they  were  not  boars,  but  she- 
1  swine. 

4  30  October. — The  Quaker  Spirit  is  the  foulest  of  Devils, 
j  wherefore  the  Quaker  Hell  is  the  deepest,  and  in  it  they  are 
4  the  vilest  offscouring. 

4  Concerning  the  lives  of  the  Quakers,  I  was  instructed 
;  that  they  are  like  the  Jews,  loving  riches  for  the  mere  sake 
4  of  possession.  ?t 

There  is  much  more  in  the  Diary  about  the  Quakers  of  a 
similar  tenor,  but  enough  !  The  last  observation  comparing 
them  to  Jews  may  not  be  without  truth,  but  for  the  mysteries, 
Bah! 

The  Rev.  Theophilus  Lindsey,  who  left  the  Church  of 
England,  and  in  1774  opened  the  Unitarian  Chapel  in  Essex 
Street.  Strand,  relates  the  following  anecdote — 

4  I  cannot  omit  an  account  which  I  received  from  a  person 
4  living,  of  great  worth  and  credit ;  that  a  friend  of  his, 
4  several  years  ago,  walking  with  Baron  {  Swedenborg  along 
4  Cheapside,  in  one  part  the  Baron  suddenly  bowed  very  low 
4  to  the  ground,  when  the  gentleman  lifting  him  up  and  asking 


*  '  Continuatio  de  Ultimo  Judicio,'  No.  84. 

f  '  Diarium  Spiritual*;  Nos.  3,785  and  3,772-73. 

i  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  repeat  that  Swedenborg  was  not  a  Baron. 


MOSES  AND  DAVID. 


389 


4  what  he  was  about,  the  Baron  replied  by  asking  him,  if  he 
1  did  not  see  Moses  pass  b}^  and  told  him  that  he  had  bowed 
4  to  him.  A  man  that  could  see  Moses  walking  along  Cheap- 
4  side  might  see  anything.'* 

In  this  anecdote  there  are  evident  signs  of  fiction.  If 
Swedenborg  saw  Moses,  he  certainly  could  not  be  surprised 
that  his  comrade  did  not.  From  Lindsey,  too,  we  have  the 
story  third  hand — from  a  friend's  friend.  It  is  said  of  a  shop, 
that  three  removes  are  as  bad  as  a  fire :  an  anecdote  by  three 
removes  runs  the  risk  of  becoming  as  bad  as  a  lie.  Few  in- 
.deed  can  bear  two  or  three  facts  in  memory  for  any  distance 
without  spilling,  and  in  the  endeavour  to  recover  what  has 
dropped  they  are  sure  therewith  to  pick  up  and  incorporate 
some  dirt.  Presently  we  shall  read  the  same  anecdote  in 
another  shape  and  with  another  name  than  Moses. 

That  Swedenborg  had  any  intercourse  with  the  Hebrew 
legislator  I  cannot  discover  in  his  writings.  With  few  of  the 
Bible  worthies  does  he  seem  to  have  had  much  to  do ;  indeed 
he  shews  himself  anxious  to  diminish  the  awe  with  which  we 
are  accustomed  to  regard  them  and  to  encourage  us  to  treat 
them  as  a  very  average  sort  of  persons.  4  The  Apostles  and 
4  Prophets,'  he  says,  4  were  no  better  than  other  people,' f 
and  in  his  Diary  we  find  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel,  4  the 
4  man  after  the  Lord's  own  heart,'  described  as  an  associate 
of  Devils. 

King  David. 

4  23  October,  1748. — David  is  possessed  with  the  lust  of 
4  being  chief  in  Heaven.  .  .  .  Persuaded  that  he  was  a  god 
4  he  proclaimed  himself  one. 


*  '  A  Second  Address  to  the  Students  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge  relating  to 
1  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Origin  of  the  Great  Errors  concerning  him.'  By 
Tkeophilus  Lindsey,  M.A.,  London:  1790.   Page  178. 

t  'Apocalypsis  Bevelata,'  No.  790. 


390 


KINO  DAVID. 


4  24  October,  1748. — He  openly  confessed  and  asseverated 
4  that  he  did  not  understand  what  he  wrote ;  that  he  might 
4  have  thought  that  his  writings  included  arcana,  but  what  they 
{  were  he  knew  not ;  that  he  might  have  known  a  certain 
4  Personage  was  to  come  into  the  World,  but  that  he  had  no 
4  further  knowledge  respecting  Him ;  and  that  he  applied  all 
4  things  he  wrote  to  himself  and  the  Jews.  He  said  a  Spirit 
4  spake  through  him  as  a  Spirit  speaks  through  me,  and  thus 
4  that  he  and  I  were  of  a  like  quality  ;  but  it  was  given  me  to 
1  tell  him,  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  and  had 
4  therefore  no  knowledge  of  faith,  that  he  was  ignorant  of  the 
4  interiors  of  the  Word  and  remained  solely  in  its  letter ;  that 
4  he  did  not  understand  what  the  Spirit  spoke  through  him, 
4  and  thus  that  he  and  I  were  very  different.  .  .  .  To  this  he 
4  had  no  reply. 

4 1  spake  with  him  also  concerning  the  Gentiles  of  whom 
4  he  had  so  great  a  hatred,  saying,  that  Abraham  was  an 
4  idolator,  that  the  Jews  were  worse  than  the  Gentiles,  that 
4  the  Church  had  been  transferred  to  them,  and  that  now 
4  Christians  were  worse  than  Gentiles. 

4  25  October. — David  is  wicked,  and  a  slave  of  deceitful 
4  Spirits,  who  say  they  treat  him  like  a  dog.  His  mind  is  full 
4  of  cruelty  and  adultery,  and  without  conscience  he  medi- 
4  tates  and  contrives  mischief.' 

David  joins  a  Conspiracy  to  annihilate  our  Author. 

4  4  November. — When  I  went  -to  bed  Evil  Spirits  formed 
4  a  design  to  destroy  me,  and  for  this  end  took  measures  to 
4  call  out  Hell  and  every  malicious  Spirit.  They  first  drew 
4  the  Dragon  over  to  their  side,  but  having  used  him  badly  he 
4  got  away.  Then  they  endeavoured  to  summon  all  Hell,  and 
4  surround  and  attack  me  in  a  body,  and  make  an  end  of  me, 
4  as  so  often  they  have  tried  before.  .  .  .  They  evoked  David 
4  also,  who  appeared  before  me  in  a  dense  cloud.  For  some 
4  time  they  persisted,  doing  their  utmost,  whilst  I  reposed  in 


SAINT  TAUL. 


391 


1  safety,  fearing  nothing,  but  observing  their  efforts.  At  last 
4  they  gave  up,  confessing  their  attempt  to  be  in  vain.'* 

The  reader  will  no  doubt  be  ready  with  a  free  supply  of 
appropriate  commentary  on  the  preceding  and  following  pas- 
sages, and  may  wonder  at  my  silence.  For  the  present, 
however,  I  choose  to  keep  simply  to  narration,  and  reserve 
for  a  future  page  a  judgement  on  the  mass  of  Swedenborg's 
other-world  gossip  about  persons. 

According  to  Lindsey,  Swedenborg  met  Moses  hi  Cheap- 
side,  but  according  to  Southey  he  met  St.  Paul. 

4  Gustave  Brander  was  walking  with  Emanuel  Swedenborg 
4  in  Cheapside,  when  the  Baron  pulled  off  his  hat  and  made  a 
4  respectful  bow.  44  Who  are  you  bowing  to?"  said  Brander. 
4  44  You  did  not  see  him,"  replied  Swedenborg.  44  It  was  St. 
*  "  Paul ;  I  know  him  very  well."  'f 

Whether  this  encounter  took  place  in  Cheapside  or  not  we 
cannot  say,  but  as  we  shall  now  see,  it  is  quite  true,  that 
Swedenborg  thought  he  knew  St.  Paul  very  well. 

St.  Paul 

4  28  October ,  1748. — A  certain  Spirit  came  to  me  of  a 
4  sudden  and  inquired  whether  I  was  not  speaking  ill  of  him. 
4  It  was  perceived  that  he  was  Paul.  It  was  replied,  that  I 
4  was  not  thinking  about  him. 

4  10  July,  1749. — A  certain  Devil  fancied  himself  the  very 
4  Devil  who  deceived  Adam  and  Eve,  according  to  the  vulgar 
4  opinion.  ...  It  was  given  me  to  hear  Paul  speaking  with 
4  him  and  saying  he  wished  to  be  his  companion,  and  that  they 
4  would  go  together  and  make  themselves  gods.  .  .  .  but  they 
4  were  rejected  wherever  they  went. 


*  1  Diarium  Spirituale,'  Nos.  3,656-65,  3,674-76,  3,682-84,  3,688,  and  3,851. 

f  Southey's  'Common  Place  Book,'  Fourth  Series.  Personal  Observations 
and  Recollections,  page  515. 


392 


SAINT  PAUL. 


4  During-  my  sleep  I  have  been  infested  by  adulterers,  and 
this  Devil  and  Paul  have  lent  their  aid  to  my  infesters,  and 
so  stubbornly  held  me  in  an  adulterous  train  of  thought,  that 
I  could  scarcely  release  myself.  .  .  .  Hence  Paul's  nefarious 
character  was  made  known. 

(No  date)  1  Paul  is  among  the  worst  of  the  Apostles,  as 
has  been  made  known  to  me  by  large  experience.  The  love 
of  self,  whereby  he  was  governed  before  he  preached  the 
Gospel,  continued  to  rule  him  afterwards ;  and  from  that  love 
he  had  a  passion  for  scenes  of  controversy  and  tumult.  He 
did  all  things  from  the  end  of  being  greatest  in  Heaven  and 
judging  the  tribes  of  Israel. 

1  That  such  is  Paul's  character  is  manifest  from  very  much 
experience,  for  I  have  spoken  with  him  more  than  with  others. 
The  rest  of  the  Apostles  in  the  other  life  rejected  him  from 
their  society  and  refused  to  recognize  him.  Besides  he 
connected  himself  with  one  of  the  worst  Devils,  who  would 
fain  rule  all  things,  and  pledged  himself  to  obtain  for  him  his 
end.  It  would  be  tedious  for  me  to  write  all  1  know  about 
Paul;  were  I  to  do  so  the  report  would  be  long  enough  to 
fill  sheets. 

'  That  Paul  wrote  Epistles  does  not  prove  him  good,  for 
even  the  impious  can  preach  well  and  write  epistles.  It  is 
one  thing  to  be  good  and  another  to  speak  and  write  about 
goodness,  as  was  said  to  him.  Moreover,  he  has  not  mentioned 
in  his  Epistles  the  least  word  of  Avhat  the  Lord  taught,  nor 
cited  one  of  His  parables ;  so  therefore  he  received  nothing 
from  the  Lord's  life  and  discourse,  when  nevertheless  the 
very  Gospel  itself  is  in  the  Evangelists. 

(No  date)  1  Paul  associated  himself  with  the  worst  Devils 
and  wished  to  form  a  Heaven  in  which  he  should  be  the 
dispenser  of  pleasures.  This  he  attempted,  but  became 
worse  in  consequence,  and  was  cast  down.  I  told  him  his 
purpose  was  hellish  and  not  heavenly.  He  wished  especially 
to  have  hypocrites  about  him.    There  were  hypocrites  with 


TOLHEM. 


393 


4  me  for  several  days,  which  I  knew  from  the  aching  of  my 
4  teeth.  They  tacitly  pressed  upon  me  without  intermission, 
1  and  it  was  perceived  and  said,  that  the  pressure  was  from 
4  Paid.  He  hates  the  internal  sense  of  the  Word,  and  the 
'  anger  of  his  hatred  draws  hypocrites  around  him.  Such  is 
'  the  connection  of  things.  Hypocrites  believe  nothing,  but 
1  they  value  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word  because  they  can 
f  use  it  to  overawe  the  simple  and  appear  pious. 

....  4  Paul  underwent  many  dangers  and  punishments 
4  on  earth  that  he  might  be  the  greatest.  .  .  .  Hence  he  re- 
jects the  inner  truths  of  the  Word,  because  they  testify 
4  against  the  glory  of  the  world  and  self-righteousness. 

(No  date)  4  Spoke  with  Paul.  He  wished  to  be  an  in- 
4  troducer  to  Heaven,  and  that  the  Lord  would  receive  those 
4  whom  he  should  pass.  The  proposal  is  absurd,  for  there  is  no 
4  entrance  to  Heaven  by  favour,  but  by  life,  and  life  is  known 
4  only  to  the  Lord.  I  told  him  that  he  might  see  froni  the 
4  letter  of  the  Word,  that  he  was  coveting  Peter's  office,  to 
4  whom  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  had  been  given. 
4  He  said  he  wished  to  take  the  office  from  Peter  for  he  had 
4  done  greater  service.  Paul  utterly  dislikes  Peter,  and  says 
4  he  imderstood  nothing  and  could  no  nothing.'* 

From  his  Diary  we  learn  that  Swedenborg  was  in  Stock- 
holm in  1751.  In  that  year  his  old  friend  and  coadjutor, 
Polhem,  the  engineer,  whose  daughter,  Emerentia,  he  wished 
to  marry,  died,  and  it  was  his  privilege  to  see  both  sides  of 
his  grave. 

4  Polhem  died  on  Monday,  and  spoke  with  me  on  Thurs- 
4  day.  I  was  invited  to  the  funeral.  Polhem  saw  the  hearse, 
4  the  attendants,  and  the  whole  procession.    He  also  saw  them 


*  1  Diarium  Spirituale,'  Nob.  3,728,  4,321,  4,412-13,  and  'Diarium  Minus,' 
Nos.  4,561-62  and  4,631. 


394 


POLHEM. 


4  let  down  the  coffin  into  the  grave,  and  conversed  with  me 
4  while  the  interment  was  going  on,  asking  why  they  buried 
4  him  when  he  was  alive.  When  the  priest  pronounced  that 
4  he  would  rise  again  at  the  Day  of  Judgement,  he  asked  why 
4  this  was,  since  he  had  risen  already.  He  wondered  that  such 
4  a  belief  should  prevail,  considering  that  he  was  even  now 
4  alive ;  he  also  wondered  at  the  belief  in  the  resurrection  of 
4  the  body,  for  he  said  he  felt  himself  then  in  the  body ;  with 
4  other  remarks.'* 

On  spiritual  acquaintance  he  found  Polhem  to  be  a  thorough 
Materialist  and  Atheist. 

4  Polhem  is  an  engineer.  During  his  earthly  life  he 
4  meditated  much,  but  always  on  material  things — on  natural 
4  philosophy  applied  to  mechanics.  .  .  .  He  confirmed  himself 
4  in  the  belief  that  there  was  no  Grod,  that  everything  was  by 
4  Nature,  and  that  life  in  man  and  beast  was  a  sort  of  me- 
4  chanical  operation,  f  .  •  •  He  did  not  wish  to  know  that 
4  there  was  any  life  after  death,  any  internal  man,  any  Heaven 
4  and  Hell,  anything  Divine  beyond  Nature,  any  Providence 
4  beyond  blind  fate  and  chance,  and  had  set  his  mind  steadily 
4  against  the  admission  of  the  truth.  .  .  .  Hence,  now  he 
4  learns  and  teaches  in  what  way  various  animals  may  be 
4  created,  as  birds,  mice  and  cats,  and  also  infants  and  men, 
4  kneading  and  moulding  them  out  of  a  certain  composition. 
4  He  was  told  that  this  was  mere  trifling,  for  by  phantasy  any 
4  of  these  might  be  made  to  appear  in  the  Spiritual  World ; 
4  but  he  is  stupid  and  perseveres.  He  sits  in  a  dark  chamber 
4  amongst  men's  bones,  for  he  has  no  knowledge  of  the  living, 
4  but  only  of  the  dead.| 


*  'Diarium  Minus,1  Tafel's  ed.,  page  65. 

f  This  latter  was  something  like  Swedenborg's  own  opinion  in  former 
days.  See  his  ' Mechanism  of  the  Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the  Body,1 
published  in  1734. 

%  'Diarium  SpirituaU,1  Nos.  4,722  and  6,071. 


SPIRITS  USING  SWEDENBORG's  EYES. 


395 


The  opportunity  which  Swedenborg  gave  Polhem  of  con- 
templating his  own  obsequies,  he  accorded  to  several  others;* 
and  the  mode  in  which  the  vision  was  effected,  he  thus 
explains — 

4  Neither  Spirits,  nor  still  less  Angels,  are  able  to  see  things 
*  on  Earth,  for  the  light  of  its  Sun  is  to  them  thick  darkness. 
4  Nevertheless  Spirits  and  Angels,  when  it  pleases  the  Lord, 
4  may  see  the  objects  of  the  World  through  the  eyes  of  Men  ; 
4  but  this  is  only  allowed  by  the  Lord  when  He  permits  a  Man 
4  to  converse  and  be  in  company  with  Angels  and  Spirits.  It 
4  has  thus  been  granted  them  to  see  the  things  of  Earth 
1  through  my  eyes,  and  to  see  them  as  distinctly  as  I  do,  and 
4  likewise  to  hear  what  was  said  by  Men  in  conversation  with 
4  me. 

4  It  has  several  times  happened,  that  Spirits  have  seen 
4  through  me,  to  their  great  amazement,  the  friends  whom  they 
4  knew  in  the  flesh.  Some  mothers  have  seen  their  husbands 
4  and  children,  and  have  desired,  that  I  would  tell  them  they 
4  were  present  and  saw  them,  and  describe  their  condition  in 
4  the  Spiritual  World.  This,  however,  I  was  forbidden  to  do, 
4  and  for  this  amongst  other  reasons ;  because  they  would 
4  have  said,  I  was  out  of  my  senses,  or  would  have  thought, 
4  that  what  I  told  them  was  the  invention  of  a  delirious 
4  imagination :  for  I  was  well  aware,  that  although  with  their 
4  lips  they  allowed  the  existence  of  Spirits,  and  the  resurrection 
4  of  the  dead,  yet  in  their  hearts  they  did  not  believe  any  such 
4  thing. 

4  When  my  interior  sight  was  first  opened,  and  Spirits  and 
4  Angels  saw  the  World  through  my  eyes,  they  were  so 
4  astonished,  that  they  called  it  a  miracle  of  miracles,  and  felt 
4  a  new  joy  in  thinking  that  a  way  of  communication  was  thus 
4  opened  between  Heaven  and  Earth.    This  delight,  however, 


*  '  Diarium  Spiritual*?  No.  5,837. 


396 


ANGELS  AND  MEN. 


■  only  lasted  a  few  months  :  the  thing  afterwards  grew  familiar 
4  to  them  ;  and  it  now  occasions  in  them  no  surprise. 

I  I  have  been  informed  that,  with  other  Men,  Spirits  and 

*  Angels  do  not  see  the  least  of  anything  in  this  World,  but 
f  are  only  sensible  of  the  thoughts  and  affections  of  those  with 
1  whom  they  are  associated. 

L  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  Alan  was  so  created,  that 
'  during  his  life  on  Earth  amongst  Men,  he  might  at  the  same 
1  time  live  in  Heaven  amongst  Angels,  and  during  his  life  in 
L  Heaven  amongst  Angels,  he  might  at  the  same  time  also  live 
4  on  Earth  amongst  Men ;  so  that  Heaven  and  Earth  might 
£  be  together,  and  might  form  a  One,  Men  knowing  what  is 
4  in  Heaven,  and  Angels  what  is  in  the  World  ;  and  that 
'  when  Men  departed  from  this  life,  they  might  pass  from  the 
L  Lord's  Kingdom  on  Earth  into  the  Lord's  Kingdom  in  the 

*  Heavens,  not  as  into  a  strange  land,  but  as  into  that  with 
L  which  they  were  familiar :  but  as  Man  grew  so  corporeal,  he 
'  closed  Heaven  against  himself.'* 

From  this  passage  it  is  plain  that  Swedenborg  regarded 
his  power  of  spiritual  vision  as  a  normal  and  orderly  attribute 
of  Humanity.  It  is  sin  and  sensuality  which  have  deprived  us 
of  the  blessing  of  open  intercourse  with  the  Angels. 

Ere  we  quit  this  subject  we  must  cite  another  instance  of 
Spirits  seeing  through  our  Author's  eyes. 

I I  was  in  the  street  of  a  great  city,'  [London  doubtless] 
1  and  saw  little  boys  fighting  with  each  other,  whilst  the  crowd 
1  which  flocked  around  them  enjoyed  the  sight  exceedingly ; 
1  and  I  was  informed,  that  their  parents  themselves  excited 
1  the  children  to  such  combats.  The  good  Spirits  and  Angels, 
f  who  saw  through  my  eyes  what  was  passing,  were  so  shocked, 
1  that  I  perceived  their  horror,  and  that  it  was  caused  especially 
4  by  the  conduct  of  the  parents  who  incited  their  children  to 


*  'Arcana  Coclestia,1  No.  1,880. 


CHARLES  XII.  AND  HIS  WIFE. 


397 


4  such  fighting.  They  said,  that  thus  in  early  life  parents 
4  extinguished  all  the  mutual  love,  and  all  the  innocence,  which 
4  infants  receive  from  the  Lord,  and  initiate  them  into  hatred 
4  and  revenge  ;  and  therefore,  that  they  studiously  exclude 
4  them  from  Heaven,  where  there  is  nothing  but  mutual  love. 
4  Let  parents,  therefore,  who  wish  well  to  their  children, 
4  beware  of  such  practices.'* 

Charles  XII 

It  may  be  remembered,  that  Charles  XII.  brought 
Swedenborg  and  Polhem  together,  and,  that  importuned  by 
Bishop  Svedberg,  he  gave  him  the  place  of  Assessor  in  the 
College  of  Mines.  The  patron  of  his  youth  Swedenborg  now 
meets  in  the  Spiritual  World,  and  thus  he  draws  his  picture — 
4  a  most  horrid  Devil. 

4  There  was  a  certain  person,  who  was  the  most  obstinate 
4  mortal  on  earth  (Charles  XII.)  He  was  obstinate  to  such  a 
4  degree,  that  he  would  never  desist  from  his  opinion,  even 
4  though  he  should  suffer  the  most  cruel  death,  or  the  most 
4  direful  hell. 

4  Charles  was  married  in  the  next  life  to  a  woman  of  similar 
4  character,  but  more  stubborn  than  himself.  He  hated  her 
4  with  deadly  hatred,  which  he  shewed  by  plunging  a  knife  in 
4  her  back,  tearing  out  her  heart,  and  biting  and  foaming  at 
4  the  mouth.  This  she  endured  until  her  turn  came,  when, 
4  assisted  by  Devils,  she  retaliated.  She  was  more  headstrong 
4  than  he,  nor  did  she  care  for  life  or  any  torture.  At  length 
4  she  brought  matters  to  such  a  pass,  that  he  began  to  be 
4  obedient,  to  cohabit  as  she  desired,  and  to ' — in  fact,  do 
something  a  bold  bad  woman  might  command, — 4  in  token  of 
4  submission.  He  then  praised  her  because  she  had  conquered. 
4  ...  It  was  said,  she  was  possessed  by  She-Devils,  chiefly 


*  lDe  Ccelo  et  de  Inferno,'  No.  344. 


398 


CHARLES  XII. 


4  from  Holland,  who  had  subjugated  their  husbands.  It  was 
4  shewn,  that  although  such  couples  hate  one  another  utterly, 
4  yet  they  experience  an  infernal  satisfaction  in  struggling  for 
4  mastery,  and  by  it  are  almost  welded  into  one. 

4  Charles  was  a  striking  instance  of  those  who  are  inwardly 
4  selfish  and  outwardly  civil  and  modest.  At  heart  he  was 
4  the  most  haughty  man  on  earth ;  not  only  did  he  aspire  to  be 
4  the  greatest  in  his  own  Kingdom,  but  in  the  whole  world, 
4  and  in  a  kind  of  way  thought  himself  a  god.  In  the  pre- 
4  sence  of  danger  his  mind  was  remarkably  clear ;  he  surveyed 
4  his  circumstances  at  a  glance  ;  saw  how  to  use  a  hundred 
4  officers  for  his  purpose ;  and  drew  conclusions  as  correctly 
4  as  rapidly.    Pitiless  and  cruel  he  set  no  value  on  human  life. 

4  Religion  he  considered  was  only  for  the  simple,  and  Ma- 
4  hometanism  he  preferred  to  Christianity.  He  had  no  belief 
4  in  the  existence  of  God,  except  as  the  Human  Mind,  and 
4  particularly,  as  himself.  He  wished  that  men  should  eradi- 
4  cate  the  very  thought  of  God. 

4 1  heard  what  Charles  had  done  every  day  for  about  five 
4  weeks,  and  this  in  regular  order,  and  not  a  single  thing 
4  omitted.  It  was  thus  attested,  that  we  carry  with  us  into 
4  the  next  world  whatever  we  think,  wish,  do,  hear  and  sec  to 
4  the  least  minutiae,  in  the  whole  course  of  our  lives. 

4  It  was  discovered  that  for  years  Charles  had  conversed 
4  with  Spirits,  and  that  he  was  not  only  instructed  concerning 
4  the  Lord  and  the  Church,  but  frequently  admonished  to  go 
4  home  to  Sweden  and  make  peace.  This  ran  counter  to  all 
4  his  inclinations,  and  he  determined  to  extirpate  the  name  of 
4  the  Lord  by  atheistical  doctrine  :  at  the  same  time  he  plunged 
4  headlong  into  abominations,  which  ought  not  to  be  so  much 
4  as  named. 

4  In  the  next  life  he  went  on  in  the  same  way.  He  was 
4  hostile  to  the  Lord  and  wished  to  destroy  all  who  confessed 
4  Him.  He  desired  to  be  the  very  Devil  and  Commander  of 
4  the  Hells.    He  declared  war  against  the  Lord,  and  all  who 


CHARLES  XI. 


399 


4  were  in  the  Hells  flocked  about  him,  worshipped  him,  and 
4  instigated  him  to  every  iniquity,  so  that  after  a  time  he 
4  became  the  very  concentration  of  Hell  with  scarcely  a  rem- 
4  nant  of  human  nature  left. 

4  He  was  told,  that  if  there  were  myriads  of  myriads  of 
4  men  like  himself,  they  would  not  have  the  weight  of  a  feather 
4  against  the  Lord,  but  to  this  he  paid  no  attention,  for  he  was 
4  a  supreme  simpleton. 

4  After  he  had  been  frequently  punished,  he  was  sent  to 
4  the  most  squalid  Hell  where  there  were  swine ;  but  never- 
4  theless,  he  persisted.  In  the  end  he  became  an  idiot,  and 
4  entirely  ossified,  as  if  he  were  a  skeleton.  To  relate  all  I 
4  know  about  him  would  fill  a  book.'* 

4  Concerning  Charles  XI.  and  Ms  Queen.'1 

Swedenborg  was  led  to  the  mother  of  Charles  XII.,  whom 
he  found  living  as  the  wife  of  a  priest,  but  meeting  her  earthly 
husband,  she  was  re-united  to  him.    Here  is  the  story — 

4  When  I  was  in  the  spirit  one  night  I  was  conducted  by 
4  a  companion  to  a  certain  house,  neatly  built  of  wood,  I 
4  believed  it  to  be  the  residence  of  the  Queen  of  Charles  XI., 
4  but  at  that  time  she  was  the  wife  of  a  certain  priest,  but  was 
4  living  there  alone  without  her  husband.  On  entering,  I  saw 
4  a  piece  of  her  needlework  on  the  table,  beautifully  wrought. 
4  My  companion  commenced  a  conversation  with  her,  but  I 
4  cannot  recollect  it,  for  it  was  about  something  peculiar  to  the 
4  spiritual  state. 

4  Afterwards  I  awoke  and  talked  with  her  in  the  natural 
4  state.  I  told  her  I  had  been  brought  thither  by  my  com- 
4  panion  on  account  of  Evil  Spirits,  who  haunt  me  during 
4  sleep,  and  who  were  then  lying  in  ambush  for  me.  Sub- 


*  Arranged  and  condensed  from  'Diarium  Spirituale,'  Nos.  3,005,  4,351, 
4,741-3,  4,745-52,  4,754,  4,763-4,  4,823,  4,857,  4,873,  4,884-5,  4892,  4,900-1, 
5,010,  6,010,  6,013,  6,015,  6,018-9,  6,028,  6,034  and  6,087. 


400 


ULRIKA  ELEONORA. 


4  sequently  I  told  her  the  EvO  Spirit  then  in  search  of  me 
4  was  Charles  XII.  At  the  mention  and  idea  of  him  she 
4  instantly  knew,  that  he  was  her  son,  and  called  him  Carl,  in 
4  a  motherly  tone  of  voice.  After  some  conversation  about  his 
4  boyhood  at  court,  it  came  into  her  mind,  that  when  Queen  of 
4  Sweden  she  was  mother  of  two  daughters  as  well  as  Charles. 
4 1  described  their  state  and  circumstances,  and  then  her 
4  husband  Charles  XL  was  brought  to  her  recollection. 

4  Wherefore  they  came  together  and  mutually  recognized 
1  each  other,  and  consociated  as  husband  and  wife. 

1  This  took  place  in  1762,  on  the  22nd  of  January.' 

Queen  Ulrika  Eleonora. 

One  of  the  daughters'  of  Charles  XI.  was  Ulrika  Eleonora, 
who  succeeded  to  the  Swedish  throne  on  the  death  of  her 
brother  Charles  XII.  in  1719.  She  it  was,  who  ennobled  the 
Svedberg  family,  changing  the  name  to  Swedenborg.  Bishop 
Svedberg  thought  her  a  1  a  great  hypocrite,1  and  her  husband 
Frederick,  to  whom  she  resigned  the  crown,  1  good  for  little.' 
Ulrika  died  in  1741,  Frederick  in  1751,  and  our  Author  met 
them  both  in  the  Spiritual  World.  Frederick  he  describes  as 
a  foul  adulterer,  but  Ulrika  thus — 

1  loth  of  August,  1761. — In  the  morning  there  appeared 
4  to  me  an  elegant  chariot  in  which  sat  a  man  magnificently 
4  dressed,  and  presently  a  young  woman,  with  a  plain  face 
4  and  the  air  of  a  servant,  and  spinning  yarn  in  her  hand.  It 
4  was  Queen  Ulrika  Eleonora  I  beheld.' 

Twenty  years  had  elapsed  since  her  death.  "Was  the  end 
of  her  probation  attained?  Swedenborg  does  not  say,  but 
continues — 

'  I  did  not  know  at  the  instant  from  whence  she  was,  nor 
1  who  she  was.  While  the  chariot  passed,  the  man  called  her 
4  to  mount  and  sit  beside  him.  She  was  unwilling,  but  he 
4  persuaded  her. 

4  The  man  wm  from  some  duchy  in  Germany.    He  had 


GUSTAVUS  ADOLPHUS. 


401 


4  died  in  boyhood,  and  like  Ulrika  had  studied  the  Word,  and 
4  had  loved  the  knowledge  of  spiritual  truth. 

4  The  two  drove  through  various  Societies,  and  thus  induced 
4  upon  themselves  agreeable  states  and  conjugal  sympathy  j 
4  after  which  they  appeared  in  a  magnificent  palace.** 

Gustavus  Vasa  who  delivered  Sweden  from  the  tyranny 
of  the  Danes,  and  whose  name  is  set  in  everlasting  honour,  is 
spoken  of  by  Swedenborg  as  an  idiot  f  in  Hell  by  reason  of 
his  love  of  dominion.  Scarcely  more  surprising  is  his  account 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  one  of  the  very  noblest  characters 
preserved  in  history. 

Gustavus  Adolphus. 

1  That  the  Word  might  not  be  hidden  in  Germany  by  the 
4  Pope,  the  Lord  stirred  up  Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  fought 
4  for  the  Reformation.' | 

Admitting  him  to  be  a  Divine  instrument,  yet,  in  himself, 
he  was  a  vile  instrument. 

4  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  his  family  conversed  with  me  for 
4  several  days.  At  first  I  thought  him  to  be  among  the  lower 
4  Angels,  but  afterwards,  on  leaving  me,  I  discerned  that  his 
4  influence  was  full  of  adultery.  ...  I  saw  him  sitting  on  a 
4  horse  with  his  face  as  when  in  battle,  without  his  cap,  armed, 
4  and  like  an  ordinary  soldier.  His  state  was  represented  to 
4  me  by  a  little  yellow  dog,  which  was  changed  into  a  cat ; 
4  then  by  a  fox  in  whose  mouth  flowed  back  a  white  foam ; 
4  then  by  a  great  serpent ;  next  by  a  crafty  animal  of  the 
4  small  panther  kind,  which  passed  over  to  the  left  side,  and  at 
4  the  same  time  by  a  lion  on  the  right,  which  did  not  appear 
4  very  clearly  to  me.  Afterwards  it  was  shewn  how  he  had 
4  lived  with  women  and  harlots  in  the  most  foul  and  abandoned 


*  '  Diarium  Spirituale,1  No.  6,009.     f  1  Diarium  Spirituale,'  No.  6,034. 
%  '  Diarium  Spirituale,'  Appendix,  p.  148. 

2  D 


402 


CHRISTINA  AND  SVEDBERG. 


4  manner.  I  then  perceived,  that  lie  must  have  been  so  great 
4  an  adulterer,  as  to  have  utterly  despised  conjugal  love.'* 

Christina,  the  eccentric  daughter  of  (uistavus,  whose  house 
Swedenborg  visited  when  he  was  in  Rome  in  17,'iO,  he  thus 
describes. 

Queen  (liristina. 

1  She  was  living  in  a  handsome  enough  house,  and  em- 
4  ployed  in  some  spiritual  work,  which  corresponds  to  spinning. 
4  Thither  went  Charles  XII.  to  have  some  talk  with  her. 

4  She  related  how  she  had  conversed  with  the  Cardinals 
4  when  at  Rome  in  a  sportive  style,  whereby  she  captivated 
4  them.  She  wished  them  to  appear  naked,  to  which  they 
4  replied,  it  was  impossible,  and  very  improper  even  to  hint  at 
4  such  a  thing.  .  .  . 

4  She  treated  the  Pope  as  humourously.  He  asked  her 
4  what  she  thought  of  Christ.  She  said,  44  He  was  44  super 
1  u  papa"  The  Pope  replied,  that  He  was  not,  for  He  had 
4  transferred  His  power  to  Peter,  and  so  to  him :  this  he  spoke 
4  of  the  Humanity  from  Mary.  Christina  rejoined,  that  the 
4  Son  of  God  is  from  eternity  and  equal  with  the  Father,  and 
4  since  the  Father  is  above  the  Pope,  so  must  be  the  Son.  To 
4  this  the  Pope,  after  meditation,  could  make  no  reply. *f 

Bish  op  Svcdberg . 

We  search  the  Diary  in  vain  for  any  notice  of  the  lively 
Bishop,  but  in  the  LArcana  CajJestia'  we  meet  with  this 
characteristic  incident. 

4  In  a  dream  my  father  appeared  to  me.  I  talked  with 
4  him,  saying,  that  a  son,  when  he  had  become  a  man,  ought 
4  not  to  own  his  father  for  father  as  in  childhood.  When  a 
4  child,  the  father  is  in  the  Lord's  place,  and  without  him,  the 


*  ' Didrium  Bp&ritualef  No.  3,191.     f  tDUmmm  Spirilualc,'  No.  G,017. 


AN  EXECUTION. 


403 


4  child  knows  not  what  to  do ;  but  when  the  child  becomes  a 
1  man  and  can  think  and  will  for  himself,  then  the  Lord  is  his 
4  only  Father,  and  to  Him  he  ought  to  look.'* 

Whatever  we  may  think  of  Swedenborg's  other  attempts 
at  character,  this  may  pass  for  a  genuine  bit  of  portraiture. 
Meddlesome  here,  Svedberg  could  scarce  be  aught  else 
hereafter. 

We  learnt  incidentally  from  the  Diary,  that  Swedenborg 
was  in  Stockholm  at  Polheni's  funeral  in  1751.  By  another 
reference,  we  find  him  there  in  1756.  In  that  year  a  revolu- 
tion was  attempted  in  Sweden,  and  the  leaders  of  the  con- 
spiracy, Count  Brahe  and  Baron  Horne,  were  executed  on  the 
23rd  of  July,  on  which  day  Swedenborg  writes — 

4  Of  those  who  are  resuscitated  from  the  dead,  and  have 
4  made  confession  of  faith  in  their  last  moments. 

4  Brahe  was  beheaded  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
4  spoke  with  me  at  ten  at  night ;  that  is  to  say,  twelve  hours 
4  after  his  execution.  He  was  with  me  almost  without  inter- 
4  ruption  for  several  days.  After  two  days  he  began  to 
4  return  to  his  former  life,  which  consisted  in  loving  worldly 
4  things,  and  after  three  days,  he  relapsed  into  the  evils, 
4  which  he  had  made  his  own  before  he  died.'f 

Kobsahm  possibly  refers  to  Brahe's  execution  when  he 
relates — 

4  One  day  as  a  criminal  was  led  off  to  be  beheaded,  I  was 
4  by  the  side  of  Swedenborg,  and  asked  him  how  such  a  person 
4  felt  at  the  instant  of  death.  He  answered,  "  "When  a  man's 
4  u  head  drops  from  the  block,  he  loses  all  sensation.  When 
4  44  he  first  awakes  in  the  Spiritual  World  and  finds  that  he  is 
4  44  living,  he  is  seized  with  the  fear  of  his  expected  death,  and 
4  44  tries  to  escape.  Soon  Good  Spirits  come  to  him,  and 
4  44  tell  him  where  he  is,  and  he  is  then  left  to  follow  his  own 


*  'Arcana  Ccelestia^  No.  6,492.       f  'Diarium  SpiritualcJ  No.  5,099. 

2  D  2 


404 


FIVE  NEW  BOOKS. 


*  c<  inclinations,  which  lead  him  to  the  place  where  he  abides 
<  "  for  ever.'  " 

In  1758  Swedenborg  published  in  London  the  following 
works — 

1.  'Heaven  and  its  Wonders,  and  Hell,  heard  and 
1  seen.' 

2.  1  The  Earths  in  our  Solar  System ;  and  the 
L  Earths  in  the  Starry  Heavens :  with  an  account  of 
L  their  Inhabitants,  Spirits  and  Angels,  from  hearing 
1  and  seeing.'' 

3.  1  The  Last  Judgement  and  the  Destruction  of 
L  Babylon  :  shewing,  from  hearing  and  seeing,  that  all 
1  the  Predictions  in  the  Apocalypse  are  at  this  day 
'fulfilled: 

4.  1  The  New  Jerusalem  and  its  Heavenly  Doctrine 
1  heard  from  Heaven:  to  which  is  prefixed  information 
1  respecting  the  New  Heaven  and  the  New  Earth.1 

•  5.  4  On  the  White  Horse  of  the  Apocalypse ;  after- 
*  wards  of  the  Spiritual  or  Internal  Sense  of  the  Word, 
1  extracted  from  the  Arcana  Coelestia.1 


(    405  ) 


CHAPTER  VII. 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL  * 


Heaven  and  Hell  is  Swedenborg's  most  readable  book. 
It  is  a  dish  of  cream  from  off  the  1  Arcana  CwlestiaS 

He  divides  the  Spiritual  World  into  three  regions — 
Heaven,  the  World  of  Spirits,  and  Hell. 

Heaven  consists  of  a  1  great  multitude,  which  no  man 
i  can  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and 
4  tongues,'  who  love  God  supremely  and  their  neighbours  as 
themselves. 

The  World  of  Spirits  is  neither  Heaven  nor  Hell,  but  an 
intermediate  place  or  state  into  which  men  enter  at  death, 
and,  after  a  certain  probation,  pass  into  Heaven  or  Hell. 

Hell  is  the  assembly  of  the  Selfish,  of  all  who  love 
themselves  supremely,  and  gratify  their  lusts  at  any  cost 
to  others. 

The  World  of  Spirits. 

At  death  only  the  decidedly  good  pass  immediately  into 
Heaven,  and  the  decidedly  bad  into  Hell ;  the  great  majority 
abide  for  a  while,  varying  from  days  to  thirty  yearsf  in  the 
World  of  Spirits. 


*  '  De  Ccelo  et  ejus  Mirabilibus,  et  de  Inferno,  ex  Auditis  et  Visis.  Lon- 
dini:  1758.'    Quarto,  272  pages. 

f  '  Some  only  enter  the  World  of  Spirits  and  are  immediately  taken  up 
'  into  Heaven,  or  cast  down  into  Hell ;  some  remain  there  a  few  weeks,  and 
'  others  several  years,  but  none  remain  more  than  thirty  years.'    No.  426. 

In  the  'Apocalypse  Becealed,'  published  in  1766,  eight  years  after  1  Heaven 


406 


PUBGATOST. 


No  radical  change  is  there  wrought  in  the  character : 
such  change  is  only  possible  on  Earth:  in  the  World  of 
Spirits,  character  is  merely  reduced  to  unity.  A  divided, 
an  inharmonious  mind  is  tolerated  neither  in  Heaven  nor 
Hell :  a  Spirit  must  be  either  cold  or  hot.  The  Good  there- 
fore in  the  World  of  Spirits  are  cured  of  faults  of  practice 
and  opinion  inconsistent  with  their  goodness,  often  not 
without  prolonged  suffering.  The  Bad,  on  the  other  hand, 
strip  themselves  of  all  pretences  inconsistent  with  their  bad- 
ness, and  reject  all  the  pious  and  moral  modes  and  maxims 
whereby  they  deceived  the  unwary.  The  World  of  Spirits 
in  this  respect,  Swedenborg  compares  to  a  Stomach,  which 
divides  the  nutritious  from  the  imiutritious,  and  absorbs  the 
former  into  the  body  of  Heaven,  and  casts  the  latter  as  filth 
into  Hell. 

It  may  be  asked,  By  what  means  are  the  Good  distin- 
guished from  the  Bad  ?  In  the  mass  of  Men,  is  not  the  tissue 
of  benevolence  and  selfishness  so  intertwined,  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible  to  determine  which  has  the  prevalence? 

True,  Swedenborg  would  answer ;  but  nevertheless,  one 
or  other  has  the  prevalence,  and  the  prevalence  decides 
whether  the  Spirit  is  Angel  or  Devil.  1  Every  man,7  he 
says  1  is  influenced  by  many  Loves  ;  but  there  is  One  Love 
4  among  them  which  rules,  and  which  the  others  serve  :  and 
1  whatever  is  the  Ruling  Love  at  death,  remains  supreme 
4  and  unchanged  to  Eternity.'*  The  process  therefore,  which 
is  effected  in  the  World  of  Spirits  is  nothing  more  than  the 


1  and  Hell,''  Swedenborg  reduces  the  utmost  limit  of  sojourn  in  the  World  of 
Spirits  from  thirty  to  twenty  years.    He  writes — 

1  All  enter  the  "World  of  Spirits  immediately  after  death,  and  are  there 
1  prepared,  the  good  for  Heaven,  the  wicked  for  Hell.  Some  abide  there  only 
1  a  month  or  a  year,  and  others  from  ten  to  thirty  years  ;  and  they  who  were 
'permitted  to  construct  imaginary  Heavens'  [of  these  we  shall  speak  in 
another  chapter]  'several  centuries;  but  at  this  day  not  longer  than  twenty 
4  years.1    No.  866.    See  also  1 Apocalypse  Exjtlained,'  No.  1.276. 

*  No.  477. 


RESURRECTION. 


407 


implicit  subjection  of  the  whole  character  to  the  Ruling 
Love ;  and  the  result  appears  in  a  harmonious  being — an 
Angel  or  a  Devil. 

A  Man  is  said  to  die  when  his  earthly  body,  whether  by 
accident,  disease,  or  old  age,  has  become  unfit  to  serve  as  a 
medium  between  his  Soul  and  the  World  of  Nature.  As 
soon  then,  as  the  motion  of  his  heart  and  lungs  ceases,  he 
opens  his  eyes  in  the  World  of  Spirits,  and  finds  himself  in 
a  place  and  condition  similar  to  that  which  he  left  on  Earth  ; 
indeed  so  similar,  that  some  find  it  difficult  to  believe,  that 
over  them  has  passed  the  great  terror  called  Death. 

4  Very  many  of  the  Learned  from  the  Christian  World 
4  are  amazed,  when  they  find  themselves  after  death  in  a 
4  body,  in  garments,  and  in  houses,  as  they  were  on  Earth  ; 
£  and  when  they  recall  to  memory  what  they  thought  of  the 
4  life  after  death — of  the  Soul,  of  Spirits,  of  Heaven  and  of 
4  Hell,  they  are  affected  with  shame,  and  declare  they  had 
'  thought  like  fools,  and  that  the  Simple  were  much  wiser 
4  than  they. 

4  A  certain  novitiate  Spirit,  hearing  me  speak  about  the 
4  Soul,  inquired  what  it  was,  supposing  himself  to  be  still  a 
4  Man  on  Earth.  When  I  told  him  that  there  is  a  Spirit  in 
4  every  Man,  in  which  his  life  resides,  and  that  the  body  only 
4  serves  him  to  live  upon  the  Earth — for  that  flesh  and  bone 
4  neither  live  nor  think — he  hesitated  what  to  believe.  I 
1  then  asked  him  whether  he  had  heard  anything  about  the 
4  Soul.  He  replied,  "  What  is  the  Soul "?  I  know  not  what 
4  u  it  is."  I  was  then  allowed  to  inform  him,  that  he  was  now 
4  a  Soul  or  Spirit, — as  he  might  know  from  the  fact  of  his 
4  being  over  my  head,  and  not  standing  upon  the  earth,  and 
4  asked  him  whether  this  was  not  evident  to  himself.  On 
4  hearing  these  words,  he  fled  away  in  terror,  crying,  44 1  am 
4  44  a  Spirit  !  I  am  a  Spirit !" 

4  A  certain  Jew,  also,  was  so  confident  that  he  was  living 


408 


RESURRECTION. 


'  in  the  body,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could  be  persuaded 
1  otherwise  ;  and  even  after  it  had  been  shewn  him  that  he 
'  was  a  Spirit,  he  persisted  that  he  was  a  Man,  because  he 
'  saw  and  heard. 

1  Such  are  they  who,  during  their  abode  on  Earth,  have 
4  led  a  merely  corporeal  life.'* 

The  extrication  of  the  Spirit  from  the  Body  is  an  office 
assigned  to  a  certain  order  of  Angels  ;  they  receive  Souls 
kindly,  and  introduce  them  to  their  new  sphere,  where  they 
quickly  seek  out  those  with  whom  they  have  any  affinity. 

1  I  have  frequently  heard  new-comers  from  Earth  rejoicing 
4  at  meeting  their  friends  again,  and  their  friends  rejoicing 
4  at  their  arrival.  Husbands  and  wives  meet,  and  continue 
4  together  for  a  long  or  short  time,  according  to  their 
4  mutual  affinity.  If  they  have  held  one  another  in  inward 
4  aversion,  they  burst  forth  into  open  enmity,  and  sometimes 
1  into  actual  fighting. 'f 

In  this  first  state  after  death,  affairs  proceed  for  a  while 
very  much  as  on  Earth.  Curious  Souls  go  sight-seeing  4  in 
4  cities,  gardens  and  paradises,  and  are  shewn  magnificent 
4  buildings  and  beautiful  scenes.'  Almost  all  are  anxious  to 
be  taken  to  Heaven,  but  out  of  thousands  there  is  scarcely 
one  at  this  day,  who  has  the  least  conception  of  what  Heaven 
really  is.j: 

Gradually  a  second  state  supervenes  ;  the  varnish  of  the 
world  begins  to  peel  off  as  the  Ruling  Love  breaks  down  all 
pretences  between  itself  and  behaviour.  The  Good  expe- 
rience a  relief  as  from  bondage ;  '  they  feel  as  if  awakened 
4  from  sleep,  and  as  though  they  had  passed  from  shade  into 
4  light.'ll  The  Bad  4  no  more  disguise  their  intentions,  but 
1  publish  openly  whatever  they  have  done  or  thought,  with- 
4  out  any  concern  for  their  reputation,  and  rush  headlong 


*  lDe  Ultimo  Judicio?  No.  16,  and  'Arcana  ('celestial  No  447. 
f  No.  494.  x  N<>.  495.  |j  No.  506. 


INFALLIBLE  INQUISITION. 


409 


4  into  crimes  of  every  kind,  and  are  therefore  frequently  and 
4  grievously  punished.'* 

Hypocrites  change  most  slowly,  but  in  the  end  the  most 
perverse  are  reduced  to  simplicity  and  sincerity.  There  are 
Angels  whose  duty  it  is  to  make  inquisition  into  character, 
and  no  craft  can  beguile  them,  for  they  are  able  to  read  off  a 
Spirit's  life  from  his  memory. 

4  Certain  Spirits  denied  the  crimes  they  had  done  on 
4  Earth,  and,  lest  they  should  be  supposed  to  be  innocent, 
4  all  their  actions  were  recited  in  order  from  their  own 
4  memory,  from  birth  to  death.  They  consisted  chiefly  of 
4  adulteries  and  whoredoms. 

4  Some  who  had  deceived  others  by  wicked  arts,  and  who 
4  had  committed  robberies  and  thefts,  were  explored  in  the 
4  same  manner,  and  all  their  tricks  enumerated  in  series : 
4  and  they  confessed ;  for  the  facts  were  made  manifest  in 
4  light,  together  with  every  thought,  intention,  delight  and 
4  fear,  which  agitated  their  minds  at  the  time. 

4  Others  who  had  accepted  bribes,  and  made  gain  of  judge- 
4  ment  were  examined,  and  their  official  lives  detailed  from 
4  their  own  memories.  Every  particular  was  recalled ;  the 
4  amount  and  nature  of  each  bribe,  the  time  when  it  was 
4  offered,  and  the  state  of  mind  and  intention  in  accepting 
4  it;  all  rushed  into  recollection  and  were  visibly  exhibited 
4  to  the  bystanders.  The  criminal  acts  thus  revealed 
4  amounted  to  many  hundreds.  This  was  done  in  several 
4  cases  ;  and,  what  is  wonderful,  even  the  memorandum  books, 
4  in  which  these  Spirits  had  made  notes  of  their  doings,  were 
4  opened  and  read  before  them  page  by  page. 

4  Others  who  had  violated  chastity  were  brought  to  sinii- 
4  lar  judgement,  and  every  particular  of  their  wickedness 
'  was  recovered  from  their  memories.  The  very  faces  of  the 
4  virgins  and  wives  they  had  dishonoured,  were  exhibited  as 


*  Nos.  507  and  509. 


410 


ANGELIC  INQUISITORS. 


c  if  present,  together  with  their  places  of  meeting,  their  con- 
'  versations,  and  states  of  mind.  These  exposures  were 
'  sometimes  continued  for  hours  together,  and  succeeded  each 
1  other  like  a  rapid  panorama. 

4  There  was  a  certain  Spirit,  who  had  made  light  of  the 
4  evil  of  backbiting.  I  heard  his  slanders  set  forth  in  the 
4  very  words  he  used ;  the  persons  he  had  defamed,  and 
4  those  to  whom  he  had  carried  his  tales,  were  presented  as 
c  vividly  as  though  actually  present ;  yet  every  particular 
4  had  been  sedulously  concealed  when  he  lived  on  Earth. 

4  Another  Spirit,  who  had  defrauded  a  relation  of  his  in- 
1  heritance,  was  convicted  in  the  same  way,  and  the  letters 
c  and  papers,  which  had  passed  between  them,  were  read  in 
1  my  hearing,  and  I  was  told  that  not  a  word  was  omitted. 
4  The  same  person  shortly  before  his  death  poisoned  his 
¥  neighbour,  and  the  crime  was  thus  brought  to  light.  The 
4  murderer  appeared  to  dig  a  hole,  out  of  which  a  man  came 
1  forth,  and  cried  out,  "What  hast  thou  done  to  me  ?"  Every 
4  particular  was  then  revealed ;  the  friendly  conversation  of 
4  the  murderer  with  his  victim ;  how  he  gave  him  the  cup  ; 
4  the  train  of  thoughts  which  led  to  the  murder,  and  the  cir- 
4  cumstances  which  took  place  afterwards.  Immediately  after 
1  these  disclosures  he  was  sentenced  to  Hell. 

1  In  a  word,  all  evils,  wicked  actions,  robberies,  artifices, 
4  and  deceits  are  so  clearly  exhibited  to  every  Evil  Spirit 
4  from  his  own  memory,  that  he  is  self-condemned  ;  nor  is 
4  there  any  room  for  denial,  because  all  the  circumstances 
1  appear  together. 

4  When  a  Man's  deeds  are  discovered  after  death,  the 
4  Angels,  who  are  inquisitors,  look  into  his  face,  and  extend 
4  their  examination  over  his  whole  body,  beginning  with  the 
4  fingers  of  each  hand.  I  was  surprised  at  this,  and  the  reason 
4  was  thus  explained  to  me — 

4  Every  volition  and  thought  of  Man  is  inscribed  on  his 
*  Brain  ;  for  volition  and  thought  have  their  beginnings  in 


NOTHING  FORGOTTEN. 


411 


4  the  Brain,  whence  they  are  conveyed  to  the  bodily  members, 
4  wherein  they  terminate.  Whatever  therefore  is  in  the 
4  Mind  is  in  the  Brain,  and  from  the  Brain  in  the  Body, 
4  according  to  the  order  of  its  parts.  Thus  a  Man  writes  his 
4  life  in  his  physique,  and  thus  the  Angels  discover  his 
4  autobiography  in  his  structure.* 

4  A  memorable  circumstance  confirmed  me  in  the  truth, 
4  that  the  most  minute  particulars  which  enter  the  memory 
4  remain  and  are  never  obliterated.  I  once  saw  some  books 
4  in  the  Spiritual  World,  and  was  told  that  they  were  compiled 
4  from  the  memories  of  their  authors,  and  that  not  one  word 
4  was  omitted  from  the  copies. 

4 1  am  aware  that  these  things  will  appear  like  paradoxes, 
4  and  be  scarcely  believed  ;  but  nevertheless  they  are  true. 
4  Let  no  one  therefore  suppose,  that  anything  which  he  has 
4  thought  or  done  secretly,  can  remain  hidden  after  death ; 
4  but  let  him  be  assured,  that  every  act  and  every  thought 
4  will  then  be  exposed  as  in  clear  day.  As  the  Lord  said, 
4  44  There  is  nothing  covered  that  shall  not  be  revealed  ; 
4  44  neither  hid  that  shall  not  be  known.  Therefore  what- 
4  44  soever  ye  have  spoken  in  darkness  shall  be  heard  in  the 
4  44  light ;  and  that  which  ye  have  spoken  in  the  ear  in  closets 
4  44  shall  be  proclaimed  upon  the  house-tops."f 

As  to  punishments  in  the  future  life,  Swedenborg  makes 
this  remarkable  statement — 

4  Punishments  in  the  World  of  Spirits  are  of  many  kinds, 
4  but  no  one  suffers  for  deeds  done  on  Earth.  An  Evil  Spirit 


*  Shakspere  who  knew,  or  at  least  observed,  everything,  makes  Ulysses 
say  of  Cressida — 

"  Fie,  fie  upon  her ! 
"  There's  a  language  in  her  eye,  her  cheek,  her  lip; 
"  Nay,  her  foot  speaks;  her  wanton  spirits  look  out 
"  At  every  joint  and  motive  of  her  body." 

'  Troilus  and  Cressida?  Act  iv.,  Scene  5. 
f  Nos.  462  and  463  ;  Luke  xii.,  2  and  3. 


412 


GATES  OF  HEAVEN*. 


1  is  only  punished  for  the  crimes  he  then  and  there  commits. 

•  Nevertheless,  there  is  no  actual  difference,  whether  it  is  said 
I  that  the  Wicked  are  punished  for  their  crimes  on  Earth, 

•  or  for  the  crimes  they  commit  in  the  World  of  Spirits  ; 

•  because  every  one  preserves  his  character  through  death, 
'  and  attempts  to  repeat  the  deeds  done  in  the  flesh. 

'  Good  Spirits  are  never  punished,  although  they  com- 
'  mitted  sins  on  Earth,  because  they  have  no  wish  to  repeat 
4  them.     It  has  been  revealed  to  me,  that  the  wrong  the 

■  Good  sometimes  do,  is  not  with  any  design  against  the 

■  truth,  nor  out  of  an  evil  heart,  but  from  hereditary  impulse, 
1  in  moments  of  blind  delight,  when  their  inmost  nature  is 
'  quiescent.'* 

The  World  of  Spirits  lies  between  Heaven  and  Hell,  and 
appears  as  an  undulating  valley,  flanked  by  mountains  and 
rocks.  Every  Society  of  Heaven  and  Hell  has  a  gate  open- 
ing into  the  World  of  Spirits,  which  gates  are  hidden  and 
are  found  by  no  one,  until  the  hour  when  he  is  ready  to  pass 
to  his  final  lot.  The  fact  is,  every  Spirit  as  to  his  Killing 
Love  is  either  in  Heaven  or  Hell — (as  indeed  we  all  are,  even 
here  on  Earth) — and  by  that  Love,  as  by  an  invisible  cord, 
he  is  irresistibly  drawn  from  out  all  entanglements  (repre- 
sented by  the  sojourn  in  the  World  of  Spirits)  into  open 
communion  with  the  peculiar  variety  of  Angel  or  Devil  with 
whom  he  is  at  heart  radically  associated. 

'  In  the  World  of  Spirits  there  appear  ways,  like  the 
1  ways  or  roads  of  Earth ;  some  lead  to  Heaven  and  some 
L  lead  to  Hell ;  but  the  ways  which  lead  to  Hell  do  not  appear 
4  to  those  who  go  to  Heaven,  nor  the  ways  which  lead  to 
1  Heaven  to  those  who  go  to  Hell.  Such  ways  are  innume- 
1  rable,  there  being  some  which  lead  to  every  Society  of 
'  Heaven,  and  to  every  Society  of  Hell.    Every  Spirit  enters 


*  No.  509. 


HOME  FOR  ETERNITY! 


413 


i  the  way  which  leads  to  the  Society  of  his  Love,  and  does 
c  not  see  the  ways  which  lead  to  any  other.'* 

When  the  probation  of  a  Good  Spirit  is  at  an  end,  he 
discovers  the  gate  which  leads  to  his  place  in  Heaven.  He 
enters  with  joy  and  finds  himself  among  Angels,  who  are  in 
nowise  strange  to  him,  whose  faces  are  as  friendly  and 
familiar  as  though  he  had  known  them  from  childhood,  and 
who  welcome  him  as  a  brother.  In  the  congenial  air,  he 
breathes  with  a  new  sense  of  ease  and  peace ;  he  has  come 
among  his  veritable  kindred ;  and  in  their  society  he  finds 
his  occupation,  and  his  happy  and  eternal  home.f 

When  the  period  of  an  Evil  Spirit  is  reached,  he  likewise 
discovers  the  entrance  which  leads  to  his  place  in  Hell.  The 
gates  of  Hell  are  only  opened  to  such  as  are  about  to  enter 
them  ;  and  they  appear  as  dusky  and  sooty  caverns,  sloping 
into  the  deep,  from  which  exhale  nauseous  and  fetid  stenches. 

L  Evil  Spirits  relish  these  stenches  as  delightful ;  for  as 
1  every  one  on  Earth  is  pleased  with  his  own  evil,  so  after 
4  death  he  is  fond  of  the  stench  to  which  his  evil  corresponds. 
L  The  Wicked,  in  this  respect,  may  be  compared  to  rapacious 
4  birds  and  beasts,  such  as  ravens,  wolves  and  swine,  which 
4  gloat  over  carrion  and  dunghills.  I  once  heard  a  certain 
1  Spirit  utter  a  loud  cry,  as  if  seized  with  inward  torture,  on 
1  being  struck  with  the  fragrant  effluvia  of  Heaven ;  and 
1  afterwards  I  saw  him  tranquil  and  glad  in  the  effluvia  of 
<  Hell.'} 

The  Hells  lie  everywhere  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
World  of  Spirits.  The  entrances  to  some,  among  the  hills 
and  rocks,  are  wide  and  large,  to  others  strait  and  narrow, 


*  '  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,''  No.  145. 

f  Thus  is  realized  what  Goethe  imagined — '  In  our  Father's  Kingdom 
'  perhaps  we  shall  be  blessed  with  what  here  has  been  denied  us,  to  know  one 
4  another  merely  by  seeing  one  another,  and  thence  more  thoroughly  to  love 
4  one  another.'    Quoted  in  Mr.  Lewes's  1  Life  of  Goethe,1  p.  519,  ed.  of  1864. 

t  No.  429. 


414 


HEAVENLY  SOCIETY. 


and  many  of  them  rugged.  Others,  in  the  plains,  are  like 
dens  and  pits,  chasms  and  whirlpools,  bogs  and  stagnant 
waters.  None  are  seen  until  a  Spirit  is  ready  to  go  to  Hell, 
when  he  disappears  down  one  of  these  entrances  amidst  an 
exhalation  of  lire  and  smoke  and  stench.  As  a  Good  Spirit 
finds  his  place  among  kindred  Angels,  so  an  Evil  Spirit  rinds 
his  place  among  kindred  Devils. 

It  will  be  said,  Why  this  World  of  Spirits  is  but  a  new 
version  of  old  Purgatory  !  So  indeed  it  seems  to  me  ;  but 
Swedenborg  in  the  fervour  of  his  Swedish  Protestantism 
would  cut  himself  off  from  the  weighty  sanction  of  Catho- 
licism. '  With  regard  to  Purgatory,'  he  says.  '  I  can  aver 
4  that  it  is  a  pure  Babylonish  fiction,  invented  for  the  sake 
4  of  gain,  and  that  no  such  place  does  or  can  exist.**  Much 
nonsense  and  falsehood  may  have  been  spoken  of  Purgatory, 
but  there  need  be  no  question,  that  Purgatory  and  the  World 
of  Spirits  are  one  and  the  same. 

The  Heavens. 

The  Societies  of  Heaven. 

Heaven  is  composed  of  innumerable  Societies  of  Angels, 
some  large  and  some  small  ;  the  large  consist  of  myriads  of 
Angels,  the  small  of  some  thousands,  and  the  least  of  some 
hundreds.  The  bond  of  these  Societies  is  similarity  of 
character ;  the  Angels  who  are  like  each  other  dwell  together  ; 
those  who  are  unlike  dwell  apart,  and  far  or  near  apart 
according  to  the  degree  of  their  unlikeness. 

The  Angels  of  each  Society  associate  according  to  the 
same  law  :  those  who  excel  in  goodness  cluster  together  as 
the  crown  and  centre  of  the  Society  ;  and  those  who  are 
round  about  are  distant  from  the  centre  according  to  the 
degree  in  which  their  excellence  diminishes.    The  arrange- 


*  '  Ajxxali/psis  Rcvdata;  No.  784,  and  repeated  1  Vera  C7,rUtwna  fitligio,' 
N-  475. 


AFFINITIES  IN  HEAVEN. 


415 


mcnt  of  a  Society  in  this  respect,  may  be  compared  to  light 
decreasing  from  its  origin  to  its  circumference. 

When  Angels  are  in  company  with  their  like,  they  are 
in  the  freedom  and  joy  of  their  life.  Few  therefore  venture 
abroad  beyond  their  own  Society  ;  for  to  go  out  from  their 
own  Society  is  like  going  out  of  themselves,  or  into  an 
atmosphere  straitened  and  uncongenial.  To  such  an  extent 
is  this  the  case,  that  when  some  inferior  Angels  ascended  to 
a  superior  Society  they  were  unable  to  see  anybody,  although 
they  looked  about  on  every  side,  and  although  they  were 
surrounded  by  a  multitude  ;  soon  too,  they  were  seized  with 
such  anguish  of  heart,  that  they  hardly  knew  whether  they 
were  dead  or  alive  ;  and,  with  all  speed,  flew  back  to  the 
Heaven  from  whence  they  came,  glad  to  rejoin  their  comrades, 
and  vowing  never  again  to  aspire  to  regions  beyond  their 
province.  The  same  happens  when  an  Angel  descends  from 
a  higher  Society  to  a  lower  :  4  he  is  deprived  of  his  wisdom, 
4  stammers  in  his  speech,  and  is  filled  with  despair.'* 

All  the  relationships  of  Earth,  which  are  not  based  on 
similarity  of  character,  are  dissolved  in  the  Spiritual  World. 
4  They  who  pass  from  the  World  of  Spirits  into  Heaven  or 
4  Hell,  know  each  other  no  more,  and  see  each  other  no  more, 
4  unless  they  are  of  similar  disposition  from  similar  loves. 'f 
4  Of  ten  who  were  brothers  on  Earth,  five  may  be  in  Hell 
4  and  five  in  Heaven,  and  all  in  different  Societies,  and  if  one 
4  met  another  they  would  have  no  sense  of  their  earthly 
4  relationship.  Natural  affinities  perish  after  death,  and  are 
4  succeeded  by  spiritual  affinities. 'if  On  this  principle 
Swedenborg  settles  the  oft-asked  question,  4  Shall  we  know 
4  each  other  in  the  Future  Life  ?'  We  shall,  if  we  possess 
kindred  hearts  ;  if  not,  we  shall  be  separated,  and  moreover 
have  no  desire  for  acquaintance.    To  most  therefore — with 


Nos.  35  and  209.        f  No.  427  ;  and  lApocalypsis  Explicata,'  No.  46. 
X  1  Doctrina  de  Cfiaritate,'  No.  26. 


416 


NO  SAMENESS  IX  HEAVEN. 


the  exception  perhaps  of  a  short  meeting  in  the  World  of 
Spirits — death  must  be  an  everlasting,  though,  rightly  con- 
sidered, not  a  mournful  farewell. 

The  Angels  of  a  Society  possess  a  general  resemblance 
of  physiognomy,  just  as  if  they  were  members  of  one  family, 
only  the  resemblance  is  more  perfect  than  anything  seen  on 
Earth— 

4  It  was  shewn  me  how  the  general  resemblance  is  par- 
'  ticularly  varied  in  the  individuals  of  one  Society.  There 
1  appeared  to  me  a  face  like  that  of  an  Angel,  which  was 
4  varied  according  to  the  affections  of  goodness  and  truth 
1  in  one  Society.  The  variations  continued  a  long  time,  and 
'  I  observed  that  the  same  general  countenance  continued  as 
4  the  common  plane,  and  that  the  rest  of  the  faces  were  only 
4  derivations  and  propagations  from  it.'* 

Though  the  Angels  of  a  Society  are  like  each  other, 
there  is  no  identity,  no  sameness — 

4  The  Hell  of  one  is  never  exactly  like  that  of  another, 
1  nor  is  the  Heaven  of  one  the  same  as  the  Heaven  of  another. 
4  No  two  Men,  no  two  Devils,  no  two  Angels  are  exactly 
4  alike.  When  I  only  thought  of  two  being  exactly  alike 
1  or  equal,  the  Angels  expressed  horror.'t 

4  There  is  not  moreover  one  heavenly  Society,  nor  any 
4  two  in  a  Society,  who  in  matters  of  faith  are  entirely  at 
4  one  with  each  other  in  opinion. 'J  All  receive  the  I)i\m«' 
Wisdom  in  diverse  manner  and  measure,  and  in  myriads 
of  myriads  of  forms  reflect  the  infinity  of  the  Divine 
Intelligence. 

Three  Heavens. 

The  Angelic  Host  is  divided  into  Three  Heavens,  per- 
fectly distinct  from  each  other — an  Inmost  or  Third,  a 
Middle  or  Second,  and  an  Outmost  or  First  Heaven. 


*  No.  47.        f  Nos.  56  and  405.       t  '  Arrmm  Vcelestia'  No.  3,267. 


THREE  HEAVENS. 


417 


The  Angels  of  the  Third  or  Highest  Heaven  are  called 
Celestial.  They  love  the  Lord  supremely  and  He  fills  their 
hearts  with  His  love.  They  are  in  innocence,  in  token 
whereof  thev  go  naked.  They  are  the  Will  of  Heaven. 
They  recognize  truth  by  a  sure  instinct,  and  have  therefore 
no  need  of  reasoning,  but  do  what  is  right  spontaneously. 
Thev  are  of  those  to  whom  the  promise  is  made  by  the 
Lord  in  Jeremiah — "  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts, 
"  and  write  it  in  their  hearts  ;  and  they  shall  teach  no  more 
"  every  man  his  neighbour,  and  every  man  his  brother,  say- 
"  ing,  Know  Jehovah ;  for  they  shall  all  know  me  from  the 
"  least  unto  the  greatest.*'* 

The  Angels  of  the  Second  or  Middle  Heaven  are  called 
Spiritual.  Their  affection  is  for  the  Divine  Wisdom  rather 
than  for  the  Divine  Love.  They  are  the  Intellect  of  Heaven, 
and  their  joy  is  to  receive  and  discuss  truths  ere  they  reduce 
them  to  practice.  They  are  as  far  inferior  to  the  Celestial 
Angels  as  Wisdom  is  inferior  to  Goodness,  Intellect  to  Will, 
Light  to  Heat. 

The  Angels  of  the  First  or  L'ltimate  Heaven  are  called 
Natural.  They  are  the  Body  of  Heaven,  and  may  be 
described  as  Obedient  Angels.  They  do  what  is  right 
because  it  is  suggested  by  Goodness  or  commanded  by 
Wisdom,  and  find  pleasure  and  peace  in  their  duty ;  but 
4  whilst  they  live  according  to  the  rules  of  morality,  and 
i  believe  in  a  Divine  Being,  have  no  particular  concern  for 
1  improvement.'  f 

Two  Kingdoms  of  Heaven. 

Viewed  in  another  aspect  the  Angelic  Host  appears  as 
Two  Kingdoms — one  called  the  Celestial  and  the  other  the 
Spiritual  Kingdom. 

The  Brain,  as  the  representative  of  the  Mind,  is,  we 


*  Jeremiah  xxxi.  33  and  34. 


t  No.  33. 

2  E 


418 


T\V(>  KINGDOMS. 


know,  shared  between  the  Will  and  the  Intellect,  and  the 
Body,  as  projected  from  and  dependent  on  the  Brain,  is 
related  in  each  of  its  parts,  organs  and  members  to  the  Will 
or  to  the  Intellect.  The  Heart  in  the  Body  is  the  grand 
representative  of  the  AYill  and  the  Lungs  of  the  Intellect, 
and  it  would  be  easy,  if  necessary,  to  go  over  the  whole 
Body  and  assign  this  function  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Will 
and  that  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Understanding. 

Just  so  with  the  Heavens.  The  Third  Heaven  is  as  the 
Will  and  the  Second  Heaven  as  the  Intellect  in  the  Brain, 
and  the  Outmost  Heaven  is  as  the  Body  apportioned  be- 
tween them.  Thus  it  is,  that  the  Three  Heavens  constitute 
Two  Kingdoms.* 

In  Men  there  are  two  marked  divisions  —  Men  of  Love 
and  Men  of  Troth  ;  the  one  living  and  acting  from  predomi- 
nance of  Will,  and  the  other  from  predominance  of  Under- 
standing. Translated  to  Heaven,  they  range  themselves  in 
Two  Kingdoms ;  the  higher  of  each  division  acting  as  the 
Brain  and  the  lower  as  the  Body. 

The  existence  and  order  of  the  Three  Heavens  and  Two 
Kingdoms  were  represented  in  the  Courts  of  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem.  There  were  Three  Courts,  and  the  Outer  Court 
was  two-fold,  signifving  its  division  and  relation  to  the 
Inmost  and  Inner  Courts.  Oberlin,  who  was  a  reader  of 
1  Heaven  and  Hell]  had  a  plan  of  the  Temple  hung  on  the 
wall  of  his  church,  and  taught  his  hearers,  that  according  to 
the  degree  of  their  regeneration  would  be  their  place  in  the 
Heavenly  Kingdoms. 

c  All  perfection  increases  towards  the  interiors,  and  de- 
'  creases  towards  the  exteriors,  because  interior  things  are 
J  nearer  to  the  Divine,  and  in  themselves  purer  ;  but  exterior 
1  things  are  more  remote  from  the  Divine,  and  in  themselves 
4  grosser.     Hence  the  perfection  of  the  Celestial  Angels 


*  No*  94  to  97.  and  'Arcana.  Crrlrstla'  V>.  9  741. 


HEAVEN  IS  A  MAN. 


419 


4  immensely  exceeds  the  perfection  of  the  Spiritual,  and  the 
4  perfection  of  the  Spiritual  that  of  the  Xatural  Angels.'* 

The  Celestial  Angels  form  the  Priestly  Kingdom  of  the 
Lord,  and  in  the  Word  are  styled  His  Habitation.  The 
Spiritual  Angels  form  His  Eegal  Kingdom,  and  in  the 
Word  are  styled  His  Throne.  On  Earth  the  Lord  wa3 
called  Jesus  from  the  celestial  aspect  and  Christ  from  the 
spiritual. 

4  From  places  of  instruction  in  the  World  of  Spirits, 
4  novitiate  Angels  pass  to  their  homes  in  the  Heavens  by 
4  eight  ways,  four  of  which  lead  to  the  Celestial  and  four  to 
1  the  Spiritual  Kingdom.  The  ways  which  lead  to  the 
4  Celestial  Kingdom  ascend  eastwards,  and  are  lined  with 
'  olives  and  fruit  trees  of  many  kinds  :  the  ways  which  lead 
4  to  the  Spiritual  Kingdom  ascend  westwards,  and  are 
4  adorned  with  vines  and  laurels  :  and  this  because  vines  and 
4  laurels  correspond  to  the  affection  of  truth  and  its  uses, 
4  whilst  olives  and  fruit  trees  answer  to  the  affection  of  good 
4  and  its  uses.'f 

The  Universal  Heaven  is  a  Man. 

The  Angels,  classified  with  exquisite  nicety  according  to 
their  varieties  of  character,  in  combination  form  a  Grand  or 
Divine  Man. 

4  This  is  an  arcanum  as  yet  unknown  on  Earth,  though 
'  most  perfectly  in  the  Heavens,  where  it  constitutes  the 
i  chief  science  of  the  Angels  and  a  means  of  vast  intelligence. 

4  Heaven  is  distinguished  like  the  Human  Body  into 
1  parts  and  members,  and  the  Angels  know  to  which  function 
1  every  Society  belongs ;  and  hence  they  say,  that  so  and  so 
4  is  in  the  Head,  or  Breast,  or  Loins,  or  Hands,  or  Feet. 

4  The  Angels  do  not  see  Heaven  as  a  Man,  for  it  is  im- 
4  possible  for  the  Traversal  Heaven  to  fall  under  the  view  of 


*  No.  34. 


f  No.  520. 

2  e  2 


420 


A  SOCIETY   IS  A  MAX. 


4  any  individual;  but  they  sometimes  sec  a  remote  Society. 
4  consisting  of  many  thousands,  in  the  Human  Form. 

1  As  every  Angel  is  a  Man,  so  every  Society  of  Angels  is 
'  a  Man,  and  all  Societies  of  Heaven  together  form  the  Grand 
k  Man.'* 

We  have  here  a  new  illustration  of  Swedenborg's  old 
and  favourite  dogma,  that  the  Method  of  Nature  is  every- 
where the  same  ;  that  what  is  true  of  the  least  is  true  of  the 
largest ;  and  that  the  Philosopher  must  take  care  never  to 
be  misled  by  size  into  supposing  difference. 

The  assertion,  that  each  Society  of  Angels  and  the 
Universal  Heaven  are  in  the  Human  Form,  is  usually  cited 
against  Swedenborg  as  the  very  height  of  mysticism  or 
absurdity.  Nevertheless,  nothing  is  more  credible  when 
reasonably  stated. 

What  indeed  can  a  Society  of  Men  or  Angels  be,  other 
than  an  enlarged  Man  ?  What  is  any  Society,  but  an  Indi- 
vidual magnified '? 

A  solitary  Man  would  do  everything  for  himself,  pain- 
fully and  imperfectly ;  but  when  he  finds  neighbours,  they 
share  with  him  the  business  of  existence,  and  in  co-operation 
toil  is  diminished  and  comforts  multiplied.  In  Society  it  is 
discovered,  that  each  Individual  has  some  special  skill  or 
strength,  and  to  each  is  assigned  some  function  answering 
thereto.  The  business  which  the  solitary  Man  roughly 
attempted  to  overtake  is  detailed  amongst  a  multitude  of 
hands,  and  is  accomplished  with  a  fullness  and  perfection 
impossible  to  any  single  pair.  Thus  in  Society,  a  Man's 
fellows  practically  say  to  him,  M  Do  your  best  for  us  and  we 
M  shall  do  our  best  for  you;"  and  as  Society  enlarges  and 
the  division  of  labour  extends  to  minutiae,  the  Individual  is 
redeemed  more  and  more  from  the  misery  and  drudgery  of 
solitude.    Man  verily  is  a  social  being ! 


•  Hot.  51  to  07. 


EACH  NATION  IS  A  MAN. 


421 


Is  it  not  therefore  manifest,  that  Society  is  nothing  else 
than  the  reconstruction  and  develop ement  of  Man  on  a  large 
scale  ?  Society  does  nothing,  Society  can  do  nothing,  which 
does  not  lie  in  germ,  at  least,  in  every  Individual.  In 
Society  the  finest  faculty  of  each  Individual  is  sought  out 
and  set  to  work  (to  speak  ideally  of  Earth  but  actually  of 
Heaven) ;  and  by  the  appointment  of  the  peculiar  strength 
and  skill  of  each  to  its  appropriate  use,  a  new  big  Man  is 
built  up,  excellent  at  every  point. 

Thus  Swedenborg  is  to  be  understood,  when  he  asserts 
that  Heaven,  and  each  Society  of  Heaven,  is  in  the  Human 
Form  ;  and  by  no  means  limiting  the  assertion  to  the 
Angelic  World — 

*  The  whole  Human  Eace,  the  men  of  a  Kingdom,  of  a 
c  Province,  of  a  City,  and  of  a  Household,  are  each  in  the 
4  Lord's  view  a  Man  ;  not,'  he  cautiously  observes,  '  that  the 
i  Men  themselves  so  appear  together,  but  the  uses  which  they 
1  perform  in  association  are  the  uses  of  one  Man.  .  .  .  Hence 
i  it  is  evident,  that  all  the  English  appear  before  the  Lord 
1  as  One  Man  ;  likewise  all  the  Dutch,  all  the  Germans,  all 
4  the  Swedes  and  Danes,  also  the  French,  the  Spaniards,  the 
4  Poles,  the  Russians  ;  either  as  Man- Angels  or  Man-Devils, 
4  according  to  the  character  of  their  uses.'* 

We  must  be  careful  in  reading  Swedenborg's  ascription 
of  the  Human  Form  to  Society,  not  to  confound  Form  with 
Shape,  and  thereby  overturn  his  science  into  nonsense. 
Form  we  attribute  indifferently  to  Mind  and  Matter,  but 
Shape  solely  to  Matter.  The  Mind  is  in  the  Human  Form, 
the  Brain  is  in  the  Human  Form,  but  neither  is  in  the  Human 
Shape,  though  the  Body,  which  is  in  the  Human  Shape,  is 
derived  from  the  Mind  through  the  Brain,  and  in  every 
nerve,  tissue  and  particle  corresponds  to  and  expresses 
something  existing  in  its  Unseen  Mental  Origin.  Form, 


1  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,1  from  'Apocalypse  Explained.' 


422 


H0BBE8  ON  THE  SOCIAL  MAX. 


Swedenborg  defines  as  application  to  Use  j  and  wherever, 
therefore,  he  finds  any  function  in  Mind  or  Society  corres- 
ponding, for  instance,  to  that  of  the  Eve  or  the  Hand  in  the 
Body,  he  identifies  that  mental  or  social  function  with  the 
Eve  or  Hand.  If  the  Uses  are  similar,  he  gives  them  the 
same  name,  however  diverse  in  appearance — though  one  be 
an  effort  of  the  invisible  Mind,  another  the  edict  of  a 
Statesman,  and  another  the  march  of  an  Army.  In  the 
Universe — the  Macrocosm — he  assures  us  there  is  nothing 
which  has  not  its  analogue  in  the  Body  of  Man — the  Micro- 
cosm. Hence  therefore  when  he  asserts  that  an  association 
like  the  House  of  Commons  is  in  the  Human  Form  he  does 
not  mean,  what  is  manifestly  untrue,  that  it  is  in  the  Human 
Shape,  but  that  functions  corresponding  to  those  of  the 
Human  Body  are  repeated  by  the  Commons  on  another 
scale,  and  on  another  plane  of  existence.  The  leaders  of 
the  House  fulfil  the  same  Use  as  the  Brain  in  the  Body,  and 
their  followers  the  same  Uses  as  the  subordinate  organs  and 
members  ;  and  moreover,  just  so  far  as  the  House  complies 
with  the  pattern  of  a  perfect  and  healthy  human  organism, 
is  the  possibility  of  its  efficiency  ;  and  just  so  far  as  it  falls 
short  of  that  pattern,  is  its  existence  maimed  or  diseased. 

Hobbes  is  not  a  philosopher  to  whom  we  should  resort 
for  spiritual  instruction,  but  he  saw  clearly  that  a  Common- 
wealth was  an  enlargement  of  Man,  or,  as  he  atheistical  In- 
puts it,  'An  Artificial  Man/  In  his  introduction  to  iLeoitdfa*f 
published  in  1651,  he  observes  that  Nature  is  the  art  by 
which  God  made  the  World,  which  art  Man  has  sometimes 
imitated  in  making  a  kind  of  Artificial  Animal.  Such,  in 
his  opinion,  a  Watch  may  be  esteemed;  for,  says  he,  "What 
is  the  heart  but  a  spring,  the  nerves  but  so  many  strings, 
and  the  joints  but  so  many  wheels "?  The  art  of  Man,  he 
adds,  ha3  gone  yet  further,  and  attempted  no  less  than 
making  a  resemblance  of  the  most  perfect  work  of  Nature, 
which  is  Man — •  For  by  art  is  created  that  great  Leviathan 


PAUL  ON  THE  CHURCH  AS  A  MAN. 


423 


1  called  a  Commonwealth  or  State  (in  Latin  Civitas),  which 
4  is  but  an  Artificial  Man,  though  of  greater  stature  and 
4  strength,  in  which  the  Sovereignty  is  an  Artificial  Soul,  as 
4  giving  life  and  motion  to  the  whole  Body  ;  the  Magistrates 
4  and  other  officers  of  judicature  and  execution,  Artificial 
4  Joints  ;  reward  and  punishment  (by  which,  fastened  to  the 
4  fear  of  the  Sovereignty,  every  joint  and  member  is  moved 
4  to  perform  its  duty)  are  the  Nerves  that  do  the  same  in  the 
4  Body  Natural ;  the  wealth  and  riches  of  all  the  particular 
L  Members  are  the  strength  (Sahis  Populi)  and  people's 
4  safety  ;  Counsellors,  by  whom  all  things  needful  for  it  to 
4  know  are  suggested  to  it,  are  the  memory  ;  equity  and 
*  laws,  the  artificial  Reason  and  Will  ;  concord,  health  ; 
4  sedition,  sickness  ;  and  civil  war,  death.  Lastly,  the  pacts 
4  and  covenants,  by  which  the  piers  of  the  Body  Politic  were 
4  at  first  made,  set  together  and  united,  resemble  that  j£a£,  or 
4  the  Let  us  make  Man,  pronounced  by  God  in  the  creation.' 

This  doctrine  of  the  correspondence  between  Society 
and  the  Human  Body  is  as  ancient  as  thought,  and  indeed 
underlies  all  speech  concerning  Society.  The  old  fable  of 
the  Belly  and  the  Members  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the 
universal  sense  of  its  truth,  and  St.  Paul  never  reasons 
more  vigourously  and  persuasively  than  when  he  tells  the 
Ephesians,  4  We  are  members  of  Christ's  Body,  of  His  flesh, 
4  and  of  His  bones  ;'  and  the  Corinthians, 4  Know  ye  not  that 
4  your  bodies  are  members  of  Christ  ?  He  that  is  joined 
4  unto  the  Lord  is  one  spirit.  Ye  are  the  Body  of  Christ, 
4  and  members  in  particular.  The  Body  is  not  one,  but 
4  many  :  there  be  many  members,  but  one  Body.  The  eye 
4  cannot  say  unto  the  hand,  I  have  no  need  of  thee  ;  nor  can 
4  the  head  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you.  If  one 
*  member  suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it ;  or  if  one 
4  member  be  honoured,  all  the  members  rejoice  with  it.'  And 
to  the  Romans,  4  For  as  we  have  many  members  in  one 
4  body,  and  all  members  have  not  the  same  office,  so  we, 


424 


OKIGIX  OF  MANHOOD. 


'  being  many,  are  one  Body  in  Christ,  and  every  one 
4  members  one  of  another.'* 

These  analogies,  Swedenborg  convinces  ns,  are  by  no 
means  fanciful,  but  that  the  Church,  whose  life  is  Christ,  is 
as  veritably  a  Man  as  to  Form  (that  is  to  say,  as  to  the 
relation  and  connection  of  the  Uses  of  its  Members)  as  any 
structure  of  flesh  and  bones  which  we  dignify  with  the  title 
of  Humanity. 

Thus  in  the  Human  Form,  the  Angels  find  the  plan  of 
their  Society,  of  their  Heaven,  and  of  the  Universe  of 
Heavens  ;  and  know  precisely  their  place  in  the  Grand 
Human  Economy,  and  find  all  their  joy  in  the  faithful 
exercise  of  their  own  little  function  there. 

Why  Heaven  is  a  Man. 

Heaven  is  in  the  Human  Form  because  the  Lord,  who  is 
the  Life  of  Heaven,  is  a  Man.  4  It  is  common  for  the  Angels 
4  to  say,  that  the  Lord  alone  is  a  Man,  and  that  they  are 
4  Men  from  Him,  and  that  every  one  is  a  Man  in  so  far  as  he 
4  receives  and  manifests  the  Lord. 

*  Xo  Angel  in  all  the  Heavens  ever  perceives  the  Divine 
4  in  any  other  than  the  Human  Form  ;  and  what  is  wonderful, 
1  they  who  are  in  the  superior  Heavens  are  not  able  to  think 
4  of  the  Divine  otherwise.  Hence  the  wiser  the  Angels  are, 
4  the  more  clearly  they  perceive,  that  God  is  in  a  Human 
'Form.'t 

Swedenborg  thus  resolves  Heaven  and  Humanity  into 
God — the  Lord.  Angels  and  Men  are  in  themselves  dead 
husks,  but  vivified  by  the  Divine  Presence.  The  Lord  is 
the  All  in  All  of  Heaven  —  of  Mankind.  Heaven  is  not 
Heaven  from  the  Angels,  but  from  the  Lord.    AVisdoni  and 


*  Ephesians  v.,  26.;  I.  Corinthians,  vi.,  15,  17  and  xii.,  14  to  31  ;  and 
Romans  xii.,  4,  5. 
t  No*.  78  to  80. 


CHARACTER  AND  CIRCUMSTANCE.  425 


Love  are  no  more  than  the  Lord  manifest  in  the  Angel — the 
Man.  1  In  Heaven  to  love  the  Lord  does  not  mean  to  love 
4  Him  as  to  Person,  but  to  love  the  Goodness  and  Truth 
L  which  are  from  Him'* — that  is  to  say,  to  worship  Him  as 
manifest  in  His  Creatures.  The  Angels  clearly  perceiving 
that  they  can  do  no  good  nor  think  any  truth  of  them- 
selves, and  that  the  love  in  their  hearts  and  the  wisdom  in 
their  understandings  are  the  Lord's  in  them,  disown  all 
merit,  all  self-righteousness. 

1  Spirits  who  arrogate  merit  and  righteousness  are  not 
1  received  into  Heaven.  The  Angels  avoid  them  as  stupid 
4  and  as  thieves ;  as  stupid  because  they  do  not  know,  that 
4  of  themselves  they  are  lifeless,  and  as  thieves  because  they 
4  rob  the  Lord  of  what  is  His.'t 

We  shall  have  further  occasion  to  speak  of  Swedenborg's 
exposition  of  the  mystery  of  consciousness  and  of  the 
transfer  of  freedom  and  personality  from  the  Creator  to  the 
Creature,  and  here  content  ourselves  with  the  simple  state- 
ment of  the  fact,  that  Heaven  in  its  innumerable  myriads  of 
forms  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  in  its  love  and  its 
wisdom,  its  joy  and  its  brightness,  derives  all  at  every 
instant  from  the  Lord. 

We  now  turn  to  a  description  of  the  external  order  and 
appearance  of  the  Heavens. 

Swedenborg  tells  us,  that  an  Angel  or  a  Devil  dwells 
in  circumstances  corresponding  in  every  particular  to  his 
spiritual  character,  and  varied  at  every  instant  with  the 
alternations  of  that  character.  What  a  Spirit  is  the  Spirit 
sees;  insides  and  outsides,  the  unseen  and  the  seen  evermore 
perfectly  harmonize.  Hence,  in  a  word,  Heaven  is  loveli- 
ness, and  Hell  is  ugliness. 

In  the  following  pages  we  shall  do  no  more  than  supply 


*  No.  15. 


f  Nos.  8,  9  and  10. 


426 


THE  SUN  OF  HEAVEN. 


a  few  illustrations  of  this  great  Law  of  Correspondence 
between  Character  and  Appearance. 

The  Sun  of  Heaven. 

Since  the  Lord  is  the  Life  of  the  Angels,  He  perforce 
appears  before  them  as  their  Sun  ;  what  He  is  within,  He  is 
manifest  without.  In  the  Wills  of  the  Angels,  He  is  love, 
and  in  their  Understandings,  He  is  wisdom ;  and  this  inner 
fact,  transferred  to  the  sphere  of  vision,  results  in  His 
appearance  as  the  Sun  of  Heaven,  whose  heat  corresponds 
to  each  Angel's  love,  and  whose  light  corresponds  to  each 
Angel's  wisdom.  Every  Angel  dwells  in  just  such  heat  and 
light  as  answers  to  his  love  and  wisdom. 

1  To  every  one  the  Sun  appears  differently,  even  as  every 

*  one  receives  the  Lord  differently.  To  the  Celestial  Angels, 
L  the  Sun  appears  fiery  and  flaming  ;  to  the  Spiritual  Angels, 
c  white  and  brilliant ;  the  one  Kingdom  receiving  more  of 
1  the  Divine  Good  and  the  other  more  of  the  Divine  Truth. 
1  Goodness  and  Truth  are  not  two  but  one  in  the  Lord,  but 
4  are  separated  in  the  Angels.  The  most  perfect  Angels 
1  are  those,  who  receive  His  Love  and  Wisdom  in  equal 
4  measure.'* 

As  to  the  existence  of  the  Spiritual  Sun,  Swedenborg 
cites  his  own  experience — 

1  That  the  Lord  really  appears  in  Heaven  as  a  Sun,  has 

*  not  only  been  revealed  to  me  by  Angels,  but  also  on  several 
c  occasions  by  actual  sight. 

'  The  light  of  Heaven  far  exceeds  the  mid-day  light  of 

*  our  Earth.  I  have  often  seen  it,  even  in  the  time  of  even- 
4  ing  and  night,  and  can  testify  thai  the  light  of  our  Natural 
'  Sun  is  as  shade  in  comparison.  Its  whiteness  and  bright- 
4  ness  surpass  all  description/ 1 


*  Not.  118  and  133. 

f  Nos.  118  and  126;  and  'Arcana  Cclcstia,'  Xos-.  1,691  and  7,173. 


T1IE  SUN  AND  THE  ANGELS. 


427 


The  Lord  is  also  seen  by  the  Angels  at  times  in  an 
angelic  form.  He  possesses  an  Angel  with  His  Spirit,  so 
that  the  private  consciousness  of  the  Angel  is  subdued,  and 
the  Angel  speaks  as  the  Lord,  and  is  seen  and  heard  by  the 
Angels  as  the  Lord. 

1  I  have  seen  the  Lord  in  an  angelic  form  out  of  the  Sun, 
4  and  a  little  beneath  it  at  a  great  altitude,  and  also  near 
4  at  hand  with  a  resplendent  countenance ;  and  once  as  a 
c  flaming  beam  in  the  midst  of  the  Angels.'* 

The  Sun  of  Heaven  does  not  appear  above  the  head,  or 
in  the  zenith,  but  before  the  faces  of  the  Angels  at  an  angle 
of  45°;  nor  does  the  Sun  move  from  that  position,  but 
remains  steadily  fixed  in  the  East,  as  the  common  centre 
whence  all  direction  and  determination  are  derived.f 

The  Angels  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom,  who  dwell  pecu- 
liarly in  the  Sun's  warmth,  spread  themselves  in  their  ranks 
from  the  East  to  the  West,  declining  in  love  as  they  recede 
westwards.  The  Angels  of  the  Spiritual  Kingdom,  whose 
peculiar  joy  is  the  light,  spread  themselves  in  their  ranks 
from  the  South  to  the  North,  declining  in  wisdom  as  they 
recede  northwards. 

The  order  of  Earth  is  inverted  in  Heaven ;  here  the 
centre  of  gravity  is  the  centre  of  the  Earth  ;  there  the 
centre  of  attraction  is  the  Sun.  As  in  this  World,  however 
we  move,  our  bodies  remain  steadily  related  to  the  centre  of 
the  Earth,  so  in  Heaven,  however  an  Angel  may  turn,  the 
Sun  in  the  East  is  constantly  before  his  face. 

4  The  Angels  have  the  East  before  them  whithersoever 
L  they  turn.  They  bend  their  faces  and  bodies  in  every 
1  direction  like  Men,  but  the  East  is  always  before  their 
4  eyes. 

1  That  the  Angels  have  the  Lord  constantly  before  them 
'  has  been  made  known  to  me  by  much  experience  ;  but 


*  Nos.  55,  79  and  121. 


f  Nos.  118  and  124. 


428 


SEASONS  IN  HEAVEN. 


c  whenever  T  have  been  in  company  with  the  Angels,  the 
'Lord  lias  been  sensibly  present  before  my  face,  nut  seen 
4  indeed,  but  perceived  in  Light. 

4  That  there  is  such  a  turning  to  the  Lord,  is  one  of  the 
4  wonders  of  Heaven  ;  for  it  is  possible  for  many  Angels  to 
1  be  in  the  same  place,  and  one  may  turn  his  face  and  body 
4  in  one  direction,  and  another  in  another,  and  yet  all  see  the 
4  Lord  before  them  ;  and  evcrv  one  have  the  South  on  his 
4  right  hand,  the  North  on  his  left,  and  the  West  behind."* 

Times  and  Seasons  with  the  Angels. 

Heaven  has  its  Times  and  Seasons,  but  not  with  the 
uniformity  of  Earth.  In  Heaven  there  is  no  bleak  winter, 
and  no  dark  night  ;  but  there  is  brightness  and  there  is 
dullness,  there  is  spring  and  summer,  morning,  and  noon, 
and  evening,  all  produced  by,  and  answering  to,  similar 
alternations  in  the  minds  of  the  Angels. 

{  The  Angels  are  not  constantly  in  the  same  state  of 
1  love,  nor,  consequently,  of  wisdom.  Sometimes  they  are 
i  in  a  state  of  intense  love,  and  sometimes  in  a  state  of  love 
4  not  so  intense,  decreasing  by  degrees  from  its  greatest  to 
4  its  least  intensity.  When  they  are  in  the  greatest  degree 
4  of  love,  they  are  in  the  light  and  heat  of  their  life,  or  in 
4  their  brightness  and  delight  ;  but  when  they  are  in  the 
4  least  degree,  they  are  in  shade  or  cold,  or  in  their  state  of 
4  dimness  and  apathy,  from  which  they  rise  again  by  degrees 
4  to  their  former  height  of  joy.  These  states  do  not  succeed 
4  each  other  uniformly,  but  with  variety,  like  the  variations 
4  of  light  and  shade,  heat  and  cold,  which  change  with 
4  perpetual  variety  within  our  natural  year.'f 

The  Angels  say  these  changes  do  not  originate  in  the 
Sun,  who  is  ever  the  same,  but  in  themselves,  and  indicate 
a  partial  relapse  from  love  into  self-love.    In  their  states  of 


*  Nos.  113  and  141. 


f  No.  155. 


NO  CLOCKS  IN  HEAVEN. 


429 


dimness,  when  the  Sim  becomes  as  a  Moon,  they  are 
renewedly  convinced  that  there  is  no  joy  apart  from  the 
Lord. 

i  When  the  Angels  are  in  their  last  state,  which  is  when 
1  left  to  self-love,  they  begin  to  be  sad.  I  have  conversed 
1  with  them  when  in  that  state,  and  have  seen  their  sadness  ; 
L  but  they  said  that  they  hoped  soon  to  return  to  their 
*  pristine  love,  and  thus  as  it  were  again  into  Heaven  ;  for 
1  it  is  Heaven  to  them  to  be  withheld  from  self-love.'* 

Moreover,  without  such  changes  even  heavenly  life 
would  lose  its  zest.  Eternal  uniformity  would  lapse  into 
eternal  misery  ;  life  would  be  weariness,  and  sleep  unto 
death  welcome  in  a  land  of  flat  unvaried  pleasantness. 
Heaven  is  Human  Nature  beatified,  and  in  Heaven,  Human 
Nature  has  its  every  desire  satisfied,  and  variety  or  change 
is  not  the  least  of  its  necessities. 

No  Time  in  Heaven. 

There  are  no  clocks  in  Heaven.  What  we  in  the  World 
call  Time,  marked  into  days  by  the  reel  of  the  Earth  on  its 
axis  and  into  years  by  its  race  round  the  Sun,  is  unknown 
to  the  Angels.  Outside  themselves  they  have  no  gauge  for 
Time.  Day  and  its  brightness  lasts  as  long  as  they  are  in 
delight,  and  evening  prevails  as  their  delight  subsides.  Time 
is  subject  to  them,  and  not  they  to  Time ;  the  only  clocks 
are  their  hearts  ;  by  their  states  alone  reckoning  is  kept,  and 
their  days  are  merely  the  measure  of  their  desires. 

1  Events  succeed  each  other  in  Heaven  as  on  Earth,  but 
1  the  Angels  have  no  notion  or  idea  of  Time  external  to 
4  themselves.  They  do  not  even  know  what  is  meant  by  a 
1  year,  a  month,  a  week,  a  day,  an  hour,  to-day,  to-morrow, 
c  yesterday  ;  and  when  they  hear  them  named  by  Man,  they 


*  No.  160;  and  1  Arcana  Ccelestia,*  Nos.  694,  731,  1,023,  1,044,  9,334-36, 


430 


MIND  GOVERNS  TIME. 


4  translate  them  into  States  of  Mind.  Hence  it  is  that  Times 
4  in  the  Word  signify  States.'* 

All  this  may  appear  very  strange,  but  it  flows  as  an 
inevitable  consequence  from  the  law  which  subordinates  the 
phenomena  of  the  Spiritual  World  to  the  Mind  of  the  Angel 
— or  the  Devil.  Our  life  here  moreover  will  supply  many 
indications  of  the  truth  of  what  Swedenborg  tells  us.  How 
short  an  hour  is  when  passed  with  a  pleasant  friend,  and 
how  long  an  hour  is  when  passed  on  the  rack  of  anxiety  ! 
Yet  we  must  know,  that  sixty  minutes,  independently  of  the 
Mind,  are  never  longer  or  shorter.  4  Jacob  served  seven 
1  years  for  Rachel,  and  they  seemed  unto  him  but  a  few 
4  days,  for  the  love  he  had  to  her.'  Our  real  life  is  altogether 
above  the  vicissitudes  of  days  and  years  ;  we  are  old  as  our 
hearts  wither  with  selfishness,  and  ever  young  as  they  grow 
tender  and  true. 

4  Since  the  Angels  have  no  idea  of  Time,  they  have  a 
4  different  idea  of  Eternity  from  what  is  entertained  on 
4  Earth.  Eternitv  is  perceived  by  them  as  Infinite  State, 
4  not  as  Infinite  Time.  I  was  once  thinking  about  Eternity, 
1  and  by  the  idea  of  Time  I  could  perceive  what  was  meant 
4  by  To  Eternity,  namely,  existence  without  end  ;  but  I  could 
1  form  no  conception  of  what  was  From  Eternity,  and  there- 
4  fore  none  of  what  God  had  done  from  Eternity  before 
4  Creation.  When  anxiety  arose  in  my  mind  on  this  account, 
4 1  was  elevated  into  the  sphere  of  Heaven,  and  thus  into 
4  that  perception  of  Eternity  in  which  the  Angels  are.  and 
4  then  I  was  enlightened  to  see,  that  Eternitv  must  not  be 
4  thought  of  from  Time,  but  from  State  ;  and  thus  a  percep- 
4  tion  of  From  Eternity  was  communicated  to  me.'f 


*  Nos.  162  and  165. 

f  No.  167.  'I  once  thought  of  the  essence  and  omnipresence  of  God 
'  from  Eternity,  that  is  of  God  before  the  creation  of  the  Earth  ;  and  because 
'  I  could  not  remove  Spaces  and  Times  from  my  thoughts,  I  was  brought  into 


HEAVENLY  TRAVELLING. 


431 


No  Space  in  Heaven, 

As  there  is  no  Time  in  Heaven  there  is  no  Space ;  there 
are  appearances  of  Space,  just  as  on  Earth,  but  instead  of 
being  fixed,  they  are  altogether  subject  to  the  Minds  of  the 
Angels.  The  distance  between  London  and  Melbourne  is 
fixed  beyond  the  influence  of  the  Mind,  and  a  friend  in  the 
one  city,  however  ardently  he  may  desire  to  meet  a  friend 
in  the  other,  will  consume  a  certain  number  of  days  in  the 
passage ;  but  in  Heaven  the  case  is  quite  otherwise ;  the 
hot  desire  in  Heaven  would  annihilate  the  appearance  of 
distance. 

'  When  an  Angel  goes  from  one  place  to  another  he 
c  arrives  sooner  when  he  is  ardent,  and  later  when  he  is 
4  indifferent ;  the  way,  whilst  it  remains  the  same,  being 
i  shortened  or  lengthened  for  him,  in  accordance  with  the 
1  force  of  his  impulse.  This  I  have  often  seen,  and  wondered 
4  that  it  should  be  so.'* 

The  appearances  of  Space  in  the  Spiritual  World  indicate 
nothing  but  differences  of  character ;  and  hence  it  is,  that 
those  who  are  of  kindred  mind  dwej1  together,  and  those 
who  are  of  dissimilar  mind  apart  ;  and  the  extent  of 
characteristic  difference  is  represented  in  corresponding 
separation  as  to  Space.  Nothing  can  overcome  these  dis- 
tances in  the  Spiritual  World  but  sympathy.  Between 
Heaven  and  Hell  a  great  gulf  is  fixed.  Angel  and  Devil 
can  seldom  meet,  nor  even  Angels  of  different  regions  inter- 
mingle without  suffering.  The  widest  spaces  of  Earth  any 
one  may  traverse,  but  the  spaces  of  the  Spiritual  World 


1  anxiety ;  for  the  idea  of  Nature  entered  instead  of  God :  but  it  was  said  to 
'me,  "Remove  the  ideas  of  Time  and  Space,  and  you  will  see."  I  did  so, 
1  and  then  I  saw  ;  and  from  that  time  forth  I  was  enabled  to  think  of  God 
'from  Eternity.'    '  De  Amore  Conjugiali,'  No.  328. 

*  No.  195. 


432 


angels'  souses. 


are  impassable  save  to  i  universal  sympathy,  which,  wo 
apprehend,  few  or  none  possess. 

4  Hence  it  may  be  seen,  that  although  there  are  Spaces 
4  in  Heaven  as  real  as  on  Earth,  yet  nothing  in  Heaven  is 
4  measured  by  Space,  bnt  by  States  of  Mind;  and  no  notion 
4  or  idea  of  Space,  apart  from  Mind,  can  enter  the  thoughts 
4  of  the  Angels.'* 

The  scenery  of  Heaven  being  thus  plastic  to  the  Minds 
of  the  Angels,  it  need  not  be  concluded,  that  it  has  little 
permanence.  There  is  as  much  fixity  in  heavenly  scenery  as 
there  is  in  angelic  character  ;  and  angelic  character  having 
emerged  from  the  turmoil  and  probation  of  Earth,  has 
entered  into  peace  and  assurance  for  ever.  Yet  even  in  the 
light  of  our  transitory  earthly  experience  we  may  know,  that 
character  in  its  essential  structure  changes  slowly,  if  at  all, 
and  were  its  perturbations  displayed  in  Nature,  they  would 
be  represented  by  cloud  and  sunshine,  cold  and  heat,  wind 
and  rain,  rather  by  cataclysms,  by  deluge  and  earthquake. 
Even  so  the  basis  of  an  Angel's  character  is  repeated  in  the 
groundwork  of  his  landscape,  and  the  variations  of  his 
thoughts  and  feelings  in  superficial  phenomena  thereupon. 

The  Home*  of  the  Angels. 

1  Whenever  I  have  conversed  with  the  Angels  mouth  to 
4  mouth,  I  have  been  present  with  them  in  their  houses,  which 
1  are  exactlv  like  those  of  Earth,  but  more  beautiful.  Th*y 
4  contain  chambers,  parlours,  and  bed  rooms  in  great  mun- 
4  bers,  courts  also,  and  around  them  gardens,  shrubberies, 
4  and  fields. 

'  Where  Angels  live  in  society,  their  houses  are  arranged 
4  in  the  form  of  a  city,  with  streets,  lanes,  and  squares, 
4  exactlv  like  the  cities  on  our  Earth.  It  has  been  granted 
4  me  to  walk  through  them,  and  to  look  about  on  every  side, 


*  Nos.  195  and  19$. 


ARCHITECTURE  AND  FURNITURE. 


433 


4  and  occasionally  to  enter  the  houses.  This  occurred  when 
4  I  was  wide  awake,  and  when  my  inner  eyes  were  opened. 

4 1  have  seen  palaces  in  Heaven  magnificent  beyond  de- 
4  scription.  Their  upper  parts  were  refulgent,  as  if  they  were 
4  pure  gold,  and  their  lower  parts  as  if  they  were  precious 
'  stones.  Some  were  more  splendid  than  others,  and  the 
4  splendour  without  was  equalled  by  the  magnificence  within. 
4  The  rooms  were  ornamented  as  neither  language  nor  science 
4  can  adequately  describe.  On  the  south  were  paradises  in 
4  which  all  things  were  in  like  manner  glorious.  In  some 
4  places  the  leaves  of  the  trees  were  like  silver  and  the  fruits 
4  like  gold.  The  colours  of  the  flowers,  which  were  arranged 
4  in  beds,  were  like  rainbows.  The  grounds  were  contiguous 
4  to  other  palaces,  which  terminated  the  view. 

4  The  Architecture  of  Heaven  is  such,  that  one  might  say 
4  it  is  the  very  Art  itself ;  nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at, 
4  because  that  Art  is  indeed  from  Heaven. 

4  The  Angels  said  that  such  things,  and  innumerable 
4  others  still  more  perfect,  are  presented  before  their  eyes 
4  by  the  Lord,  but  that  nevertheless  they  delight  their  minds 
4  more  than  their  eyes,  for  in  all  they  discern  correspondences 
4  of  things  Divine.'* 

The  houses  and  furniture  of  the  Angels  vary  from 
simplicity  to  magnificence,  according  to  their  owner's  intelli- 
gence and  usefulness,  and  consequent  dignity.  Houses  in 
Heaven  are  not  constructed  by  hand  like  houses  on  Earth, 
but  are  created  by  the  Lord  for  each  Angel  through  each 
Angel's  character.  There  is  nothing,  indeed,  in  any  angelic 
mansion  which  does  not  correspond  to  something  in  the 
Mind  of  the  householder. 

Swedenborg  has  much  to  say  in  many  places  of  the 
glories  of  the  Heavens,  but  his  descriptions  usually  run  in 
commonplaces  concerning  gorgeous  architecture  and  up- 


*  Nos.  184  and  185. 

2  F 


434 


COMPLETE  MEN  AND  WOMEN. 


holstery  in  gold  and  silver  and  precious  stones,  and  para- 
dises after  Dutch  pattern-.  He  is  a  poor  Land  at  painting 
celestial  scenery,  but  a  lively  imagination  may  find  abundant 
scope  and  warrant  for  working  from  the  principles  he  lays 
down. 

L  The  Angels  of  the  Lord's  Celestial  Kingdom  dwell,  for 
4  the  most  part,  on  mountains  ;  those  of  the  Spiritual  King- 
4  dom  on  hills  ;  and  the  Angels  of  the  lowest  parts  of  Heaven 
1  in  rocky  places. 

'  There  are  also  Angels  who  do  not  live  in  Societies,  but 
4  in  separate  houses  and  families.  These  dwell  in  the  midst 
1  of  Heaven,  and  are  the  best  of  the  Angels.'* 

The  Angels  are  Men  and  Women. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  state,  what  has  all  along  been 
asserted  or  assumed,  that  Death  works  no  change  whatever 
on  Human  Nature,  beyond  the  destruction  of  the  material 
body,  and  that  Men  and  Women  awake  in  the  World  of 
Spirits  so  perfectly  themselves.  s<»  completely  Men  and 
Women,  that  it  often  requires  'some  effort  to  realize  the  fact 
that  they  have  risen  from  Earth  to  Spirit. 

4  From  all  my  experience,  which  has  now  continued  for 
1  many  years.  I  can  declare  and  solemnly  affirm,  that  the 
;  Angelic  Form  is  in  every  respect  Human  ;  that  Angels 
4  have  faces,  eyes.  ears,  breasts,  arms,  hands  and  feet  :  that 
4  they  see,  hear,  and  converse  with  each  other,  and.  in  a 
4  word,  lack  no  external  attribute  of  Man.  except  the  mate- 
4  rial  body. 

k  I  have  seen  Angels  in  their  own  light,  which  exceeds 
4  by  many  degrees  the  noon-day  light  of  Earth,  and  in  that 
4  light  I  have  observed  all  parts  of  their  faces  more  distinctly 
4  and  clearly  than  ever  I  did  the  faces  of  Men  on  Earth. 
4  It  has  also  been  granted  me  to  see  an  Angel  of  the 


*  Nos.  50,.  188,  1SJ  and  2"7. 


NOTHING  LACKING. 


435 


'  Inmost  Heaven.    His  countenance  was  brighter  and  more 
1  resplendent  than  the  faces  of  the  Angels  of  the  Outer 
c  Heavens.    I  examined  him  closely,  and  found  him  a  Man 
c  in  all  perfection.'  * 
Again  he  testifies — 

1  A  Man  is  equally  a  Man  after  Death,  and  a  Man  so 
c  perfectly,  that  he  knows  no  other,  than  that  he  is  still  on 
1  Earth.  He  sees,  hears  and  speaks  as  on  Earth  ;  he  walks, 
4  runs  and  sits  as  on  Earth ;  he  eats  and  drinks  as  on 
1  Earth ;  he  sleeps  and  wakes  as  on  Earth  ;  he  enjoys  sexual 
4  delights  as  on  Earth ;  in  short,  he  is  a  Man  in  general  and 
4  every  particular  as  on  Earth,  whence  it  is  plain,  that  Death 
4  is  a  continuation  of  Life,  and  a  mere  transit  to  another 
4  plane  of  being.' f 

Nevertheless  the  difference  between  the  life  of  Earth  and 
of  Heaven  is  great,  for  the  senses  of  the  Angels  are  far 
more  exquisite  than  those  of  Men. J  All  that  we  have  and 
enjoy,  the  Angels  have  and  enjoy,  but  in  a  delicacy  and 
perfection  far  beyond  our  gross  and  sluggish  perceptions. 
Verily  4  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
4  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath 
1  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him.' 

The  Beauty  of  the  Angels. 

The  Angels  are  forms  of  love,  and  their  beauty  is 
ineffable.  Love  beams  from  their  countenances,  inspires 
their  speech,  and  vivifies  their  every  action. 

From  every  Spirit  (and  indeed  from  every  Man)  there 
emanates  a  sphere,  an  air,  an  aura  impregnated  with  his 
life,  and  by  which  his  quality  is  made  sensible.   This  aroma, 


*  No.  75. 

f  1  Continuatio  de  Ultimo  Judicio,1  No.  32;  and  'De  Ccrlo  et  de  Inferno 
No.  461. 

X  No.  4G2. 

2  F  2 


43G 


AGE  IS  YOUTH. 


this  atmosphere,  in  the  ease  of  the  Angels,  is  so  full  of  love, 
that  it  affects  the  inmost  life  of  all  who  draw  near  them. 

'  I  have,'  says  Swedenborg,  4  sometimes  perceived  the 
1  spheres  of  the  Angels  and  have  been  most  tenderly  and 
4  deeply  touched  thereby. 

4  The  Human  Form  of  every  Angel  is  beautiful  in  pro- 
4  portion  to  his  love  of  Divine  Truth  and  subjection  thereto. 
4  The  Angels  of  the  Inmost  Heaven  are  consequently  the 
1  most  beautiful;  for  spiritual  perfection  increases  towards  the 
1  centre  of  Heaven  and  decreases  towards  the  circumference. 

1 1  have  seen  faces  of  Angels  of  the  Third  Heaven  which 
4  were  so  lovely,  that  no  painter,  with  the  utmost  power  of 
4  his  art,  could  depict  even  a  thousandth  part  of  their  light 
4  and  life  ;  but  the  faces  of  the  Angels  of  the  Lowest  Heaven 
4  might,  in  some  measure,  be  represented. 

1  They  who  are  in  Heaven  are  continually  advancing  to 
4  the  spring-time  of  life,  and  the  more  thousands  of  years 
4  they  live,  the  more  delightful  and  happy  is  the  spring  to 
4  which  they  attain.  Good  women,  who  have  died  worn  out 
4  with  age,  come  after  a  while  more  and  more  into  the  flower 
4  of  youth,  and  into  a  loveliness,  which  exceeds  all  concep- 
1  tions  of  beauty  which  can  be  formed  from  what  the  eye  has 
4  seen.  Goodness  moulds  their  forms  into  its  own  image, 
1  and  causes  the  countenance  to  beam  with  grace  and  sweet- 
4  ness.  Some  who  have  beheld  them  have  been  overwhelmed 
4  with  astonishment. 

4  In  fine,  to  grow  old  in  Heaven  is  to  grow  young."  * 

Marriage  in  Heaven. 

Death  leaving  Human  Nature  unaffected,  leaves  Sex 
unaffected.  Angels  are  Men  and  Women  with  all  the 
passions  of  Men  and  Women,  and  consequently  Marriage 
is  the  rule  of  Heaven. 


■  fkm  17,  114  and  450. 


WEDLOCK  IN  HEAVEN. 


437 


4  Marriage  in  the  Heavens  is  the  conjunction  of  two  into 
4  one  Mind. 

1  The  Mind  consists  of  two  parts  —  the  Understanding 
4  and  the  Will ;  and  when  these  act  in  unity,  they  are 
4  called  one  Mind.  In  Heaven,  the  Husband  acts  as  the 
4  Understanding  and  the  Wife  as  the  "Will :  each  has  an 
1  Understanding  and  a  Will,  but  in  the  Husband,  the 
4  Understanding  predominates,  and  in  the  Wife,  the  Will ; 
4  and  character  is  determined  by  the  faculty  which  pre- 
4  dominates. 

4  In  Angelic  Marriage  there  is  no  predominance  :  the 
4  Will  of  the  Wife  is  the  Will  of  the  Husband,  and  the 
4  Understanding  of  the  Husband  is  the  Understanding  of 
4  the  Wife.  Each  loves  to  will  and  think  as  the  other  wills 
4  and  thinks.  The  Will  of  the  Wife  enters  into  the  Will  of 
4  the  Husband  and  the  Understanding  of  the  Husband  into 
4  the  Understanding  of  the  Wife.  Thus  are  their  Minds 
4  conjoined  —  actually  conjoined,  so  that  married  partners 
4  are  not  called  two,  but  One  Angel. 

4  This  conjunction  of  Minds  descending  into  the  Body  i3 
4  felt  as  love,  and  that  love,  conjugal  love.'* 

From  the  cohabitation  of  Angels  no  children  are  born, 
but  instead  their  union  is  thereby  perfected,  and  their  love 
and  intelligence  increased/)* 

4  They  who  have  regarded  adulteries  as  detestably 
4  wicked,  and  lived  in  the  chaste  love  of  marriage,  are  above 
4  all  others  in  the  order  and  form  of  Heaven  after  death. 
4  Their  beauty  is  surpassing,  and  the  vigour  of  their  youth 
4  endures  for  ever.  The  delights  of  their  love  are  unspeak- 
4  able,  and  they  increase  to  eternity  ;  for  all  the  delights 
4  and  joys  of  Heaven  are  collected  into  wedded  love,  since 
*  Marriage  corresponds  to  the  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and 


*  No*.  367  ard  309. 


t  No.  382. 


438 


ANGELIC  RAIMENT. 


4  the  Church.  No  language  can  describe  the  external 
4  delights  of  those  Angels.'* 

The  Garments  of  the  Angels. 

The  Angels  of  the  Inmost  Heaven  go  naked,  for  they 
are  peculiarly  in  innocence,  but  in  the  other  Heavens  the 
Angels  appear  clothed,  and  each  Angel  in  vesture  corre- 
sponding to  his  intelligence. 

1  The  most  intelligent  have  garments  which  glitter  as 
4  with  flame,  and  some  are  resplendent  as  with  light.  The 
1  less  intelligent  have  garments  of  clear  or  opaque  white 
4  without  splendour.  The  still  less  intelligent  have  gar- 
4  ments  of  various  colours. 

'  The  garments  of  the  Angels  do  not  merely  appear  to 
4  be  garments,  but  they  really  are  garments  ;  for  they  not 
4  only  see  but  feel  them,  and  have  many  changes,  which  they 
4  take  off  and  put  on,  laying  aside  those  which  are  not  in 
4  use,  and  resuming  them  when  they  come  into  use  again. 
4  That  they  are  clothed  with  a  variety  of  garments,  I  have 
4  witnessed  a  thousand  times  ;  and  when  I  inquired  whence 
4  they  obtained  them,  they  told  me,  M  from  the  Lord,"  and 
1  that  they  receive  them  as  gifts,  and  that  they  are  some- 
4  times  clothed  without  knowing  how.  They  also  said  that 
4  their  garments  are  changed  according  to  the  changes  of 
4  their  states  of  Mind/f 

The  Power  of  the  Angels. 

4  The  Power  of  the  Angels  in  the  Spiritual  World  is  so 
4  great,  that  if  I  were  to  adduce  all  the  examples  of  it  which 
4  I  have  seen,  they  would  exceed  belief.    If  anything  there 


*  No.  489.  Of  Married  Life  in  the  Heavens  much  more,  equally 
exquisite,  might  be  related,  but  as  Swedenborg  in  17GS  published  a  special 
treatise  on  Conjugal  Love,  which,  in  due  course,  we  shall  review,  no  more 
need  be  added  at  present. 

t  Nbl.  178  and  181. 


WHAT  ANGELS  CAN  DO. 


439 


'  makes  resistance,  and  ought  to  be  removed  because  con- 
w  trary  to  Divine  Order,  they  cast  it  down  and  overturn  it 
4  by  a  mere  effort  of  will  and  by  a  look. 

'  I  have  seen  mountains,  which  were  occupied  by  the 
L  Wicked,  thus  cast  down  and  overthrown,  and  sometimes 
4  made  to  shake  from  one  end  to  another,  as  by  an  earth- 
4  quake.  I  have  beheld  rocks  cleft  in  sunder,  down  to  the 
4  deep,  and  the  Wicked  who  were  upon  them  swallowed  up. 
4  I  have  also  seen  some  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Evil 
4  Spirits  dispersed  and  cast  into  Hell ;  for  numbers  are  of 
'  no  avail  against  the  Angels,  nor  arts,  nor  cunning,  nor 
4  confederacies :  they  see  through  all  and  dispel  them  in  a 
*  moment. 

4  In  the  Natural  World,  when  permitted,  Angels  may 
4  exercise  similar  Power  as  is  plain  from  the  Word,  in 
4  which  we  read,  that  they  utterly  destroyed  armies,  and 
4  caused  a  pestilence  of  which  seventy  thousand  men  died. 
4  Of  the  Angel  who  caused  the  pestilence  it  is  written,  44  The 
4  44  Angel  stretched  out  his  hand  against  Jerusalem  to  destroy 
4  44  it ;  but  Jehovah  repented  Him  of  the  evil,  and  said  to  the 
4  44  Angel,  who  destroyed  the  people,  It  is  enough,  stay  now 
4  44  thy  hand.  And  David  saw  the  Angel,  who  smote  the 
444  people.'"* 

It  is  however  to  be  clearly  understood,  that  the  Angels 
have  no  Power  of  themselves.  They  are  simply  instruments 
in  the  hand  of  the  Lord.  They  are  Powers  only  so  far  as 
they  acknowledge  their  dependence  upon  Him.  If  any 
Angel  is  so  silly  as  to  think  that  he  has  Power  of  himself, 
he  instantly  becomes  so  weak,  that  he  cannot  resist  a  single 
Evil  Spirit. 

The  Power  of  the  Angels  is  derived  from  their  reception 
of  the  Divine  Truth,  and  their  Power  is  equal  to  the  measure 
of  its  reception  ;  moreover,  their  reception  of  Divine  Truth 


*  No.  229;  and  2  Samuel  xxiv.  15,  16,  17. 


440 


AN'UELIC  PROWESS. 


is  strictly  limited  by  the  measure  in  which  they  receive  the 
Divine  Love  ;  for  Truths  have  all  their  Power  from  Love, 
and  none  without  Love  :  on  the  other  hand,  Love  has  all  its 
Power  by  Truths,  and  none  without  Truths  ;  Power  results 
from  their  conjunction.  So  far,  therefore,  as  an  Angel's 
Will  is  inhabited  by  the  Divine  Love,  and  his  Understanding 
by  the  Divine  Truth,  he  is  a  Power,  and  so  far  the  Lord  is 
with  him. 

4  The  Angels  are  of  various  Powers.  The  strongest 
4  Angels  constitute  the  Arms  of  the  Grand  Heavenly  Man. 
4  They  who  are  in  that  province  are  in  Truths  more  than 
4  others,  and  there  is  an  influx  of  Love  into  their  Truths 
4  from  the  L'niversal  Heaven.  The  Power  of  the  whole 
4  Man  transfers  itself  into  the  Arms,'  and  by  them  the  whole 
4  Body  exercises  its  force.  Hence  it  is  that  Arms  and  Hands 
1  in  the  Word  denote  Power. 

k  In  Heaven  there  sometimes  appears  stretched  forth  a 
1  naked  Arm  of  such  stupendous  Power  as  to  be  able  to  break 
*  in  pieces  everything  it  meets  with,  even  if  it  were  a  rock 
4  on  Earth.  Once  it  was  moved  towards  me,  and  I  had  a 
4  perception  that  it  was  able  to  crush  my  bones  to  powder. 

4  The  immense  Power  the  Angels  have  by  Truths  is 
4  manifest  from  the  circumstance  that  an  Evil  Spirit,  when 
1  only  looked  at  by  an  Angel,  falls  into  a  swoon,  and  loses  the 
4  appearance  of  a  Man,  until  the  Aiigel  turns  away  his  eyes. 
4  This  effect  is  produced  by  the  look  of  the  Angels,  because 
4  their  sight  is  from  the  Light  of  Heaven,  which  is  from 
1  Divine  Truth.  Their  Eves  also  correspond  to  Truths 
4  derived  from  Love.'* 

The  Wisdom  of  the  Angels. 
The  Wisdom  of  the  Angels  so  far  transcends  the  Wisdom 
of  Men  as  to  be  incommunicable  by  human  language.  The 


*  Nos.  231  and  232. 


WISDOM  OF  THE  ANGELS. 


441 


Angels,  in  fact,  may  be  called  Wisdoms."  Their  thoughts  are 
not  bounded  by  notions  derived  from  Time  and  Space,  nor 
are  they  drawn  downwards  by  cares  for  the  necessaries  of 
life ;  4  for  all  they  require  is  given  them  freely  by  the  Lord, 
4  they  are  clad  gratis,  they  are  fed  gratis,  they  are  housed 
4  gratis.'* 

1  The  chief  reason  why  Angels  are  capable  of  such  Wisdom 
4  is,  because  they  are  free  from  the  dominion  of  Self-Love ; 
4  for,  just  in  the  degree  that  any  one  is  free  from  Self-Love,  is 
4  it  possible  for  him  to  grow  wise  in  Divine  Truth.  Those  in 
1  whom  Self-Love  predominates  are  in  thick  darkness  as  to 
4  heavenly  things,  how  acute  soever  they  may  be  esteemed  in 
4  worldly  affairs. 'f 

Angelic  Wisdom  is,  in  comparison  with  Human  Wisdom, 
as  a  myriad  is  to  one.   To  illustrate  the  case  by  an  example — 

4  An  Angel  from  his  Wisdom  described  Regeneration, 
4  and  presented  a  hundred  arcana  concerning  it  in  their 
4  order,  filling  every  arcanum  with  ideas  which  contained 
4  arcana  still  more  interior.  His  description  embraced  the 
4  whole  subject  from  beginning  to  end  ;  he  explained  in  what 
4  manner  the  Spiritual  Man  is  conceived  anew,  is  carried,  as 
4  it  were,  in  the  womb,  is  born,  grows  up,  and  is  successively 
4  perfected  ;  and  he  said  he  could  increase  the  arcana  to 
4  several  thousands,  that  what  he  had  said  related  only  to  the 
4  Regeneration  of  the  External  Man,  and  that  there  were 
4  innumerable  other  things  relating  to  the  Regeneration  of 
4  the  Internal  Man. 

4  From  this  and  similar  examples,  which  I  have  heard 
4  from  Angels,  it  was  made  evident  to  me  how  great  is  their 
4  Wisdom,  and  how  profound,  in  comparison,  is  the  Igno- 
4  ranee  of  Man ;  for  he  scarcely  knows  what  Regeneration 
4  is,  and  is  not  acquainted  with  a  single  step  of  its  progres- 
4  sion  in  himself.' \. 


*  No.  260. 


f  No.  272. 


t  No.  269. 


442 


WISDOM  IS  ROOTED  IN  GOODNESS. 


The  Wisdom  of  the  Angels,  in  common  with  all  else 
pertaining  to  them,  varies  in  character  and  degree  in  every 
individual.  There  are  wise  Angels  and  there  are  Simple 
Angels.  The  "Wisdom  of  the  Inmost  Heaven  far  exceeds 
that  of  the  Middle  Heaven,  and  the  Wisdom  of  the  Middle 
Heaven  far  exceeds  that  of  the  Outmost  Heaven.* 

■  The  Angels  are  perfected  in  Wisdom  continually,  hut 
1  they  cannot  to  Eternity  exhaust  the  Divine  Wisdom.  The 
1  Lord  is  infinite  ;  the  Angels  are  finite ;  and  there  is  no 
L  proportion  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite. 

4  All  in  Heaven  desire  Wisdom  and  relish  it  as  a  hungry 
i  man  relishes  food.  Knowledge,  Intelligence,  Wisdom  are 
{  spiritual  nourishment,  as  food  is  physical  nourishment ; 
c  they  mutually  correspond  to  each  other."  t 

The  life  of  Angelic  Wisdom  is  Goodness.  The  depen- 
dence of  the  Understanding  on  the  Will  is  a  fact  never  lost 
sight  of  by  Swedenborg.  The  Will  is  a  king  who  holds  the 
Reason  and  the  Memory  in  service,  and  whatsoever  makes 
its  appearance  in  the  Reason  or  the  Memory  out  of  harmony 
with  the  affections  of  the  Will,  is,  sooner  or  later,  slain  and 
extirpated. 

Hence  in  the  Future  Life  a  Good  Heart  (which  stands 
for  a  Will  inhabited  by  the  Divine  Love)  soon  rejects  false 
doctrine  from  the  Understandings  and  receives  Truth  in 
correspondence  with  its  Goodness  ;  on  the  other  hand,  an 
Evil  Heart  rejects  from  its  subordinate  L'nderstanding  all 
Truth  at  variance  with  its  lusts.  What  is  thus  done  speedily 
and  thoroughly  beyond  the  grave  is  only  the  consummation 
of  a  process  begun  on  Earth  —  a  process  which  we  may 
detect  in  our  own  Minds,  in  Sects,  in  Nations.  Goodness 
loves  Truth,  seeks  it,  and  cherishes  it ;  Evil  loves  False- 
hood, seeks  it,  and  burrows  in  it.  Goodness  and  Truths, 
Evil  and  Lies  have  invincible  affinities. 


*  No.  267. 


t  Xos.  273  and  274 


WHAT  WISDOM  IS. 


443 


"Wisdom  is  in  Truth  and  In  Truth  only ;  and  as  Truth 
can  alone  find  a  home  in  the  Understanding  which  is  allied 
to  a  Good  Heart,  the  Good  Man  is  the  only  "Wise  Man — the 
only  Man  who  has  with  Truth  a  real  and  vital  connection. 

From  this  it  is  not  to  be  inferred,  that  the  culture  which 
science,  literature  and  business  confer  on  the  Mind  passes 
for  nothing  in  the  Spiritual  World  ;  far  otherwise.  4  The 
L  Human  Mind  is  like  a  field  which  acquires  a  quality  accord- 
1  ing  to  its  cultivation?*  The  difference  to  Eternity  remains 
wide  between  the  Good  Man,  who  has  diligently  cultivated 
his  Understanding,  and  the  Good  Man  who  has  jogged 
faithfully  through  his  earthly  duties  without  any  hard  intel- 
lectual endeavour.  What  a  Man  is  on  Earth,  he  is  in 
Heaven :  his  original  faculties  are  there  only  purified, 
polished  and  expanded.  The  simple  Good  Man  is  in  Heaven 
the  simple  Angel,  and  the  intelligent  Good  Man  is  the  W  ise 
Angel — the  leader  and  the  helper  of  the  less  wise. 

'  All  are  received  into  Heaven,  who  have  loved  Goodness 
4  and  Truth  for  their  own  sake  :  they  who  have  loved  much 
4  are  called  Wise,  and  they  who  have  loved  little  are  called 
4  Simple.  The  Wise  in  Heaven  are  in  great  light,  but  the 
4  Simple  are  in  less  light ;  and  everyone  in  light  according 
4  to  the  degree  of  his  affection  for  Goodness  and  Truth.' f 

The  storing  up  of  Knowledge  in  the  Memory  is  not  to 
be  mistaken  for  that  culture  of  the  Understanding  which 
abides  for  ever ;  but  the  ability  to  discern  the  why  and  the 
wherefore,  the  causes  and  connections  of  things,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  dependence  of  Creation  in  every  item,  at  every 
instant,  upon  God,  the  Great  First  Cause. 

4 I  have  conversed  with  many  of  the  Learned,  who  en- 
4  joyed  the  highest  literary  celebrity  on  Earth,  but  who  in 
4  heart  denied  the  Divine  Being,  how  much  soever  they  con- 
4  fessed  Him  with  their  lips.    They  were  become  so  stupid, 


*  No.  356. 


t  Nob.  349  and  350. 


444 


FATE  OF  ATHEISTS. 


4  that  they  could  scarcely  comprehend  any  civil,  much  less, 
4  any  spiritual  truth.  I  perceived  and  saw  also,  that  the 
4  interiors  of  their  Minds  were  so  closed,  as  to  have  become 
4  black  —  (Mental  States  are  represented  visibly  in  the 
4  Spiritual  World) — and  thus  they  could  not  endure  any 
4  heavenly  light.  The  blackness  was  deeper  and  more  ex- 
4  tensive  in  those  who  had  confirmed  themselves  against  the 
4  Divine  by  their  learned  scientifics.  Such  men  in  the  other 
4  life  receive  false  principles  with  delight,  and  absorb  them 
4  as  a  spunge  does  water,  and  they  repel  every  truth,  as  a 
4  bony  elastic  surface  repels  what  falls  upon  it. 

4 I  have  also  been  told,  that  the  interiors  of  those  who 
4  have  confirmed  themselves  against  the  Divine  and  in  favour 
4  of  Nature,  are  ossified :  their  heads  also  appear  callous,  a3 
4  though  they  were  made  of  ebony,  and  this  appearance 
4  reaches  to  the  nose, — a  sign  that  they  have  no  longer  any 
1  perception. 

4  Spirits  of  this  character  are  immersed  in  whirlpools, 
4  which  appear  like  bogs,  where  they  are  terrified  by  the 
4  phantasies  into  which  their  falses  are  turned.  The  infernal 
4  fire  which  torments  them  is  their  lust  of  glory  and  a  name, 
4  by  which  they  are  excited  to  speak  bitterly  one  against 
4  another,  and  to  torment  with  fiendish  ardour  those  who  do 
4  not  worship  them  as  deities.  They  torture  each  other  in 
4  this  manner  by  turns.  Such  is  the  change  which  all 
4  worldly  learning  undergoes,  which  has  not  been  illustrated 
4  by  Divine  Light.'  * 

The  Memory  and  its  contents  are  to  the  Mind  what  the 
Stomach  and  its  contents  are  to  the  Body.  Facts  in  the 
Memory  are  not  Intelligence.  Until  learning  is  digested 
and  assimilated,  and  put  to  use  by  the  Understanding,  it  is 
no  more  a  part  of  the  Mind  than  food  in  the  Stomach  is 
blood  and  bone  and  tissue  :  learning  like  food  must  be  in- 


*  No.  ?,:a 


KNOWLEDGE  WHICH  PERISHES. 


445 


corporated  with  his  structure  ere  it  can  be  described  as 
the  Man's.  Perfect  indeed  are  these  analogies  between 
Mind  and  Body  ! 

Men  therefore  who  have  crammed  their  memories  with 
languages  and  erudite  gossip,  whatever  their  reputation  on 
Earth,  find  themselves  of  small  account  in  the  Spiritual 
World.  Their  acquirements,  having  no  hold  on  their  life, 
are  left  behind  with  their  other  possessions,  and  the  fools 
they  inwardly  were  here,  they  manifestly  appear  there. 

Dependent  as  the  Memory  is  on  the  Understanding,  the 
Understanding  is  on  the  Will.  In  a  holy  Will  alone  is  the 
perennial  root  of  Wisdom.  It  is  possible  to  seek  Truth,  not 
for  its  own  sake,  nor  for  its  use  to  others,  but  for  private 
aggrandizement.  In  such  a  courtship,  our  only  interest  in 
Truth  is  selfish.  Did  not  the  Truth  promise  to  contribute 
to  our  glory,  we  should  be  indifferent  to  it ;  did  it  thwart 
us,  we  should  hate  it.  We  can  only  be  really  wise  by 
Truth,  and  Truth  can  only  be  held  as  a  permanent  posses- 
sion by  the  attraction  of  Divine  Love  in  our  Wills.  If  our 
Hearts  are  nothing  but  Self-Love,  we  may,  impelled  by  its 
fierce  heat,  lay  up  stocks  of  learning,  turn  every  scrap  into 
display,  and  argue  and  rhapsodize  to  the  world's  applause  ; 
but  there  ends  our  reward.  We  have  loved  ourselves — 
never  the  Truth  ;  and  when  the  masks  and  vain  shows  of 
this  world  have  for  us  passed  away,  we  shall  appear  in  the 
Land  of  Spirits  insane  with  self-conceit,  and  banished  far 
from  the  Angels,  who  love  Goodness  and  Truth  for  their 
own  sake,  and  who  could  say  to  God  in  their  pilgrimage 
below,  "  Though  Thou  slay  me  yet  will  I  trust  in  Thee." 

Worship  in  Heaven. 

Divine  worship  in  the  Heavens  appears  to  be  celebrated 
in  much  the  same  manner  as  among  English  Dissenters, 
where  preaching  is  made  the  main  business. 

1  In  order  that  I  might  understand  the  nature  of  the 


446 


A  HEAVENLY  TABERNACLE. 


4  assemblies  in  the  churches  of  Heaven,  it  has  been  granted 
4  me  to  enter  them  sometimes,  and  to  hear  the  preaching. 

(  The  Preacher  stands  in  a  pulpit  in  the  East :  before  his 
4  face  sit  those  who  are  in  the  light  of  wisdom  above  others, 
4  and  on  their  right  and  left,  those  who  are  in  less  light. 
4  They  sit  in  the  form  of  a  circus,  so  that  all  are  in  view  of 
4  the  Preacher,  and  no  one  sits  on  either  side  of  him,  so  as 
4  to  be  out  of  his  sight.  Novitiates  stand  at  the  door,  on 
4  the  east  of  the  temple,  and  on  the  left  of  the  pulpit.  No 
4  one  is  allowed  to  stand  behind  the  pulpit,  because  the 
4  Preacher  would  be  confused  by  it;*  and  he  is  confused  if 
4  any  one  in  the  congregation  dissents  from  what  is  said,  so 
4  that  the  dissentient  is  bound  to  turn  away  his  head.'  f 

In  another  place  Swedcnborg  describes  a  chapel  in 
Heaven  which  he  visited  with  ten  strangers  from  the  World 
of  Spirits  under  the  guidance  of  an  Angel — 

4  In  the  morning  the  strangers  heard  a  proclamation, 
4  To-day  is  the  Sabbath.  They  arose  and  asked  the  Angel 
4  what  it  meant.  He  replied,  44  It  is  for  the  Worship  of 
4  44  God,  which  returns  at  stated  times,  and  is  proclaimed 
4  44  by  the  Preachers.  The  Worship  is  performed  in  our 
4  44  temples  and  lasts  about  two  hours ;  wherefore,  if  it 
4  44  please  you,  come  along  with  me,  and  I  will  introduce 
4  44  you."  So  the  strangers  made  themselves  ready,  and 
4  followed  the  Angel  to  the  temple.  It  was  a  large  build- 
4  ing,  capable  of  containing  an  audience  of  3,000,  of  a  scmi- 
4  circular  form,  with  benches  carried  round  in  continuous 
4  sweep,  the  hinder  ones  being  more  elevated  than  those  in 
4  front.  The  pulpit  in  front  of  the  seats  was  drawn  a  little 
4  from  the  centre  ;  the  door  was  behind  the  pulpit  on  the 


*  '  In  Heaven  it  is  not  lawful  for  any  one  to  stand  behind  another,  and  to 
'look  at  the  back  of  his  head;  because  the  influx  of  Goodness  and  Truth 
'  from  the  Lord  would  be  disturbed  thereby.'    No.  144. 

f  No.  223. 


SERMONS  IN  HEAVEN. 


447 


L  left  hand.  The  ten  strangers  entered  with  the  Angel,  who 
'  pointed  out  to  them  the  places  where  they  were  to  sit ; 
1  telling  them,  "  Everyone  that  enters  the  temple  knows 
L  "  his  own  place  by  a  kind  of  instinct ;  nor  can  he  sit  in 
1  any  place  but  his  own  :  in  case  he  takes  another  place, 
c  "  he  neither  hears  nor  perceives  anything,  and  he  also 
4  "  disturbs  the  order  ;  the  consequence  of  which  is,  that  the 
(  "  Preacher  is  not  inspired."  '* 

The  sermons  preached  in  the  Heavens  are  fraught  with 
such  wisdom,  that  nothing  on  Earth  can  be  compared  to 
them  :  all  of  them  are  practical,  all  bear  on  life,  and  none  of 
them  on  faith  apart  from  life. 

1  Real  Divine  Worship  in  the  Heavens  does  not  however 
'  consist  in  frequenting  chapels  and  hearing  sermons,  but  in 
1  a  life  of  love,  charity,  and  faith,  according  to  doctrine  ; 
1  and  sermons  in  churches  serve  only  as  means  of  instruction 
4  in  the  conduct  of  life.  I  have  conversed  with  Angels  on 
L  this  subject,  and  have  told  them  that  it  is  believed  on 
1  Earth,  that  Divine  Worship  consists  merely  in  going  to 
4  church,  hearing  sermons,  receiving  the  Holy  Supper  three 
4  or  four  times  a  year,  and  in  the  practice  of  other  rites 
'  prescribed  by  the  Church  ;  to  which  may  be  added,  the 
1  setting  apart  of  times  for  prayer,  and  a  decent  manner 
'  whilst  engaged  in  it.  The  Angels  replied,  that  these 
L  external  forms  ought  to  be  observed,  but  that  they  are  of 
1  no  avail  unless  they  flow  from  a  desire  to  live  aright. 'f 

The  churches  of  the  Spiritual  Kingdom  are  built  of 
stone,  and  are  more  or  less  magnificent.  The  temples  of 
the  Celestial  Kingdom  are  constructed  of  wood,  and  are 
humbler  edifices  :  nor  are  they  called  churches,  but  houses 
of  God.  The  cause  of  this  difference  in  ecclesiastical  archi- 
tecture lies,  of  course,  in  the  character  of  the  Kingdoms. 
Wood  corresponds  to  the  Goodness  of  the  Celestial  Angels, 


*  '  De  Amore  Conjugioli,'  No.  23. 


f  No.  222. 


448 


ANGELIC  INNOCENCE. 


and  Stone  to  the  Truth  of  the  Spiritual  Angels  ;  and  Truth 
though  subordinate  to  Love,  is  by  far  the  showier  quality. 

Preaching  is  not  practised  indiscriminately  by  the 
Angels.  Every  Angel  has  his  peculiar  use,  for  which  he  is 
fitted  by  some  predominant  excellence  of  faculty  :  to  this 
use  he  is  set  apart  by  the  Lord,  and  in  its  exercise  finds  his 
happiness  and  peace.  In  accordance  with  this  infinitely  wise 
rule,  which  fills  every  office  with  genius,  Preachers  are 
ordained ;  and  none  unless  so  appointed  by  the  manifest 
finger  of  God,  are  allowed  to  minister  in  the  temples  of 
Heaven.* 

The  Innocence  of  the  Angels. 

1  The  nature  and  quality  of  Innocence  are  known  to  few 
'  on  Earth,  and  entirely  unknown  to  those  who  are  in  Evil. 
£  Innocence  indeed  appears,  before  Men's  eyes,  in  the  face, 
1  speech,  and  gestures  of  little  Children  ;  but  still  its  nature 
1  is  unknown  ;  and  it  is  still  less  known,  that  Heaven  abides 
i  with  Men  pre-eminently  in  Innocence.^ 

The  Innocence  of  little  Children  is  not  genuine  Inno- 
cence ;  it  is  an  external  form  without  any  corresponding 
reality  in  them  ;  yet  as  a  picture,  it  may  furnish  some  idea 
of  true  Innocence. 

The  charm  of  young  Children  arises  from  their  having 
no  internal  thought  ;  i  they  do  not  yet  know  what  is  good 
1  and  evil,  nor  what  is  true  and  false  ;  and  these  pr  inciples  are 
4  the  origin  of  thought.'' \  Hence  they  have  no  prudence,  no 
deliberate  purposes,  no  evil  ends  ;  they  are  satisfied  with 
trifles,  they  love  and  trust  their  parents  implicitly,  and  have 
no  anxiety  about  food  and  raiment,  and  futurity. 

Xow  in  so  far  as  children  are  thus  thoughtlessly  innocent, 
the  Angels  are  thoughtfully  innocent.  Let  us  enumerate 
some  of  their  characteristics — 


*  No.  226. 


f  No.  276. 


%  No.  277. 


ANGELIC  INNOCENCE. 


449 


4  They  attribute  nothing  good  to  themselves,  but  consider 
4  themselves  only  as  receivers,  and  ascribe  all  to  the  Lord. 

4  They  are  willing  to  be  led  by  the  Lord  and  not  by 
4  themselves. 

4  They  love  everything  which  is  good,  and  are  delighted 
4  with  everything  which  is  true,  because  they  know  and  per- 
4  ceive,  that  to  love  what  is  good,  and  therefore  to  will  and 
4  do  it,  is  to  love  the  Lord ;  and  to  love  what  is  true,  is  to 
4  love  their  Neighbour. 

4  They  live  contented  with  what  they  have,  whether  it  be 
4  little  or  much,  because  they  know,  that  they  receive  as 
4  much  as  is  good  for  them  ;  little,  if  little  is  best,  and  much, 
4  if  much  is  best ;  and  that  they  do  not  know  themselves 
4  what  is  best  for  them,  because  that  is  known  only  to  the 
4  Lord,  whose  Providence  contemplates  eternal  ends  in  all 
4  things.  Hence  they  are  not  anxious  about  the  future.  In 
4  dealing  with  their  associates,  they  never  act  from  an  evil 
4  end,  but  from  what  is  good,  just  and  sincere.  They  call 
4  it  cunning  to  act  from  an  evil  end ;  and  they  shun  cunning 
4  as  the  poison  of  a  serpent,  because  altogether  contrary  to 
4  Innocence. 

4  Desiring  nothing  more  than  to  be  led  by  the  Lord  and 
4  to  refer  all  things  to  Him  as  His  gifts,  they  are  delivered 
4  from  Self-Love,  and  just  in  proportion  as  Self-Love  is 
4  subdued  the  Lord  enters  and  abides  with  the  Angel.'* 

The  essence  of  Innocence  is  therefore  confidence  in 
the  Lord.  The  Angels  know  that  in  themselves  they  are 
nothingness  and  helplessness,  and  that  in  their  Lord's 
presence  (as  Love  in  their  Wills  and  Truth  in  their  Under- 
standings) is  their  whole  safety  and  strength  and  joy,  and 
that  just  as  they  yield  themselves  to  Him  are  they  invested 
with  His  omnipotence.  In  this  absence  of  self-trust,  self- 
dependence  and  self-satisfaction  consists  that  true  Innocence 


*  Nos.  277  and  278. 

2  G 


450 


INNOCENCE  IS  WISDOM. 


of  which  the  ignorant  Innocence  of  Childhood  is  the  faint 

and  evanescent  semblance. 

Hence  Innocence  is  one  with  Wisdom,  yea  it  is  the  acme 
of  Wisdom,  the  confession,  the  practice,  the  enjoyment  of 
the  highest  Truth  !  Innocence  is  the  measure  of  Heaven, 
and  an  Angel's  place  in  Heaven  is  according  to  the  measure 
of  his  Innocence.  The  Inmost  Heaven  is  therefore  the 
peculiar  home  of  Innocence. 

4  The  Celestial  Angels  above  all  the  rest  love  to  be  led 
4  by  the  Lord  as  little  children  by  their  father.  They  are 
L  nearest  to  the  Lord,  and  live  as  it  were  in  the  Lord.  They 
*  appear  simple  outwardly,  and  before  the  Angels  of  the 
4  Inferior  Heavens,  as  little  Children,  and  naked.  They  also 
4  appear  like  those  who  are  not  very  wise,  although  they  are 
'  the  wisest  of  the  Heavens  ;  for  they  know,  that  they  have 
1  no  Wisdom  of  their  own,  and  that  to  be  truly  wise  is  to 
L  admit  the  fact,  and  to  confess,  that  the  things  they  know 
1  are  as  nothing  compared  to  those  they  do  not  know.'* 

To  the  Crafty,  to  the  Politic,  to  those  who  think  life 
impossible  without  the  exercise  of  cunning  and  occasional 
deceit,  this  Innocence  must  seem  incredible,  impracticable, 
unattainable.  Nevertheless  there  is  no  Innocence  in  Heaven 
which  was  not  once  Innocence  on  Earth ;  some  must  have 
found  it  practicable  below,  for  there  is  no  virtue  there  which 
was  not  first  virtue  here.  Nor  has  the  criticism  of  Craft  and 
Policy  in  the  matter  of  Innocence  any  force :  Experience 
alone  has  the  right  of  speech :  and  who  are  they,  who 
having  committed  themselves  unreservedly  to  the  Divine 
Will  have  failed  to  find  their  help  and  defence  and  all 
sufficient  recompence  in  the  strong  right  hand  of  God  ? 
We  have  all  made  trial  of  prudence,  we  have  all  followed 
the  lights  of  Self- Will,  as  many  wounds  and  bruises  prove, 
but  who  is  there  to  testify  on  the  side  of  Innocence  ? 


*  No.  280. 


PEACE  AND  JOY  OF  HEAVEN. 


451 


The  Peace  of  the  Angels. 

As  is  the  Innocence  of  the  Angels  so  is  their  Peace  : 
Innocence  and  Peace  go  hand  in  hand,  for  Peace  is  the 
result,  the  delight  of  Innocence.  4  They  who  have  not  felt 
4  it,  can  have  no  conception  of  the  Peace  which  the  Angels 
4  enjoy.  Peace  exists  in  Men,  who  are  wise  and  good,  and 
4  thence  conscious  of  content  in  God  ;  but  so  long  as  they 
4  live  on  Earth,  Peace  lies  stored  up  in  their  interiors,  and 
4  is  not  revealed  until  their  interiors  are  opened  when  they 
4  leave  the  body  and  enter  Heaven. 

'  When  an  Angel  of  the  Inmost  Heaven  draws  near,  the 
'  influence  from  his  Innocence  is  so  sweet,  that  the  spirit  is 
4  thrilled  through  with  an  extasy  to  which  all  earthly 
4  delights  are  as  nothing.  This  I  speak  from  experience.'* 

The  Happiness  of  the  Angels. 

Ere  we  speak  of  the  happiness  of  the  Angels  we  may 
ask  and  answer  a  question — 
Who  is  happiest "? 
He  who  loves  most. 

There  is  no  happiness  apart  from  Love  ;  and  the  intenser 
the  Love  the  intenser  the  happiness.  From  the  affection  of 
lovers,  of  husband  and  wife,  of  parent  and  child,  of  friend 
and  friend,  are  derived  the  tenderest,  deepest,  most  exquisite 
joys  of  which  humanity  is  susceptible.  If  not  in  loving, 
Where  shall  we  seek  happiness? 

As  Angels  are  no  more  than  glorified  Men  and  Women, 
the  source  of  their  happiness  remains  the  same.  They  are 
happy  because  they  love,  and  happy  in  the  precise  measure 
of  their  Love. 

Now  Love  is  of  two  kinds — one  diffusive,  the  other 


*  Nos.  282,  284,  and  28S.  See  also  No.  401  as  to  the  developement  of 
bidden  goodness  on  Earth  into  ineffable  joys  in  Heaven. 

2  g  2 


452 


THE  LOVES  OF  HEAVEN. 


absorbent.  The  first,  Swedenborg  describes  as  Love  to  the 
Lord  and  the  Neighbour  ;  the  second,  as  Love  of  Self  and 
the  World. 

1  The  Loves  of  Heaven  are  Love  to  the  Lord  and  Love 
4  to  the  Neighbour,  and  it  is  the  nature  of  those  Loves  to 
-  communicate  delight.  Love  to  the  Lord  is  communicative, 
4  because  the  Lord's  Love  is  the  Love  of  communicating  all 
4  that  He  has  to  His  Creatures  ;  and  the  same  Love  is  in  each 
4  of  those  who  love  Him,  because  the  Lord  is  in  them.  Love 
4  to  the  Neighbour  is  of  a  similar  quality.  The  whole 
4  business  of  those  Loves  is,  to  diffuse  joy. 

4  It  is  otherwise  with  the  Loves  of  Self  and  the  World. 
4  The  Love  of  Self  absorbs  delight :  the  Love  of  the  World 
4  burns  with  the  desire  of  universal  possession.  It  is  the 
4  nature  of  these  Loves  to  destroy  joy  in  others.  When 
4  even  they  appear  communicative  it  is  for  the  sake  of  Self 
4  — that  they  may  receive  their  own  with  usury.'* 

In  the  character  of  these  Loves  we  may  perceive  the  great 
gulf  which  divides  Heaven  and  Hell.  In  Devils,  there  is  no 
Love  of  the  Lord  or  the  Neighbour ;  their  whole  being  is 
included  in  the  Love  of  Self  and  of  Property.  In  Angels 
the  Love  of  Self  and  of  Property  exists,  but  entirely  subor- 
dinate to  the  Love  of  the  Lord  and  the  Neighbour.  Hence 
the  ruling  and  constant  motive  of  every  Angel  is  to  be  useful, 
to  be  kind,  to  be  a  blessing  to  all  around  him.  For  Self  and 
Property  he  cares,  but  only  cares  because  Self  and  Property 
are  instruments  of  well-doing :  he  cares  for  them  as  does  an 
artizan  fur  the  tools  whereon  his  efficiency  depends.  4  Angelic 
4  Love  is  to  love  the  Neighbour  more  than  Self.'t 

Try  then  and  conceive  what  must  be  the  happiness  of 
Heaven  where  the  ardour  of  every  Angel  is  spent  in  doing 
good ! 

4  How  great  is  the  delight  of  Heaven  may  appear  from 


*  No.  009. 


t  No.  406. 


GIVING  IS  GETTING. 


453 


4 this  fact  alone,  that  it  is  the  joy  of  the  Angels  to  communi- 
4  cate  delight  and  blessing  to  one  another ;  and  since  all  in 
4  Heaven  are  moved  with  this  passion,  it  is  plain  how  immense 
1  is  its  delight. 

4  Heaven  is  so  full  of  delights,  that  viewed  in  itself  it  is 
4  nothing  but  delight  and  blessedness ;  so  that  whether  we 
4  say  Heaven  or  Happiness  it  is  the  same  thing.'* 

To  a  selfish  and  worldly  Man  the  happiness  of  Heaven  is 
inexplicable.  His  pleasures  are  in  power,  reputation,  riches 
and  voluptuousness  5  and  when  he  hears  that  the  joy  of  an 
Angel  consists  in  none  of  those  things,  he  shudders  at  the 
thought  of  such  indifference ;  for  he  feels,  that  to  deprive  him 
of  these  pleasures  would  be  to  rob  him  of  every  reason  for 
existence — 

4  He  would  be  exceedingly  astonished  if  he  were  told,  that 
4  when  all  the  pleasures  of  honour,  gain  and  the  flesh  are  re- 
4  moved,  there  remains  for  the  Angel  delights  innumerable 
4  and  incomparable  with  those  to  which  he  is  familiar. 

4 1  have  conversed  with  Spirits  who  supposed  that  Heaven 
4  and  heavenly  joy  consist  in  becoming  great;  but  they  were 
4  told,  that  in  Heaven  he  is  greatest  who  is  least.  He  is  called 
4  least  who  knows  he  has  no  power  and  wisdom  of  his  own, 
4  nor  desires  to  have  any  except  from  the  Lord.  He  who  is 
4  least,  according  to  this  description,  has  the  greatest  happi- 
4  ness,  and  since  he  has  the  greatest  happiness,  he  is  the 
4  greatest,  for  he  has  all  power  from  the  Lord,  and  excels  all 
4  others  in  wisdom. 

4  What  is  it  to  be  greatest,  unless  to  be  most  happy  ?  for 
4  to  be  most  happy  is  what  the  powerful  seek  by  power,  and 
4  the  rich  by  riches. 

4  The  Spirits  were  further  told,  that  Heaven  does  not  con- 
4  sist  in  desiring  to  be  least  with  a  view  to  be  the  greatest, — 
4  but  in  Angels  sincerely  desiring  the  good  of  others  more 


*  Nos.  397  and  390. 


454 


EXPERIENCE  OF  ANGELIC  JOT, 


4  than  their  own,  and  in  serving  them  for  the  sake  of  their 
4  happiness  from  pure  love,  without  any  selfish  hope  of 
4  reward. 

4  In  order  that  I  might  know  the  nature  of  heavenly  joy, 
4  it  lias  been  granted  me  by  the  Lord,  frequently  and  for  long 
4  times,  to  feel  it  distinctly,  but  obseurely,  because  the  per- 
4  ception  was  of  the  most  general  order. 

4 1  felt  that  the  joy  and  delight  came  as  from  the  heart 
4  and  diffused  itself  with  the  greatest  softness  through  all  the 
4  inmost  fibres,  and  thence  into  the  collections  of  fibres,  with 
4  sueh  an  inmost  sense  of  gratification,  that  every  fibre  seemed 
4  to  be  nothing  but  joy  and  delight,  and  all  my  perceptive 
4  and  sensitive  powers  alive  with  happiness.  The  joy  of 
4  bodily  pleasures,  compared  with  these  joys,  is  like  a  gross 
4  and  pungent  clot  of  matter  to  a  pure  and  most  gentle 
4  aura. 

4  I  perceived  further,  that  when  I  wished  to  transfer  all 
4  my  delight  to  another,  a  new  delight  flowed  in,  more  inte- 
4  rior  and  full  than  the  former,  and  that  its  volume  was  pro- 
4  portionate  to  the  intensity  of  my  desire  of  communication. 
4  This  was  perceived  to  be  from  the  Lord. 

4  When  Good  Spirits,  not  yet  qualified  for  Heaven,  pcr- 
4  ceive  this  blessedness  in  the  sphere  of  an  Angel's  love,  they 
4  are  so  enraptured  with  delight,  that  they  fall  as  it  were  into 
4  a  delicious  swoon.  This  often  happens  to  Spirits  who  desire 
4  to  know  the  nature  of  heavenly  joy.' * 

The  Speech  of  the  Angels. 

The  Language  of  Heaven  is  a  universal  Language.  It 
is  not  taught ;  every  one  at  death  finds  he  has  it,  and  speaks 
it  instinctively.  Its  sounds  are  sounds  of  affection  articulated 
into  words  by  the  understanding. 

As  Language  in  the  Spiritual  World  is  the  outflow  of 


«  No*.  :;'J>,  MS,  ioj  ami  11 J 


ANGELIC  LANGUAGE. 


455 


affection  through  intellect  into  words,  Speech  supplies  a  sure 
index  to  character — 

4  The  wiser  Angels  can  discover  the  whole  life  of  a  speaker 
4  from  the  tone  of  his  voice  combined  with  a  few  of  his  ex- 
4  pressions.  In  the  tone  they  discern  his  ruling  love.  This 
4  I  have  often  seen  done.* 

4  The  Speech  of  the  Celestial  Angels  is  like  a  gentle 
4  stream,  soft  and  continuous ;  that  of  the  Spiritual  Angels 
4  rather  vibratory  and  broken.  Celestial  Language  partakes 
4  greatly  of  the  sound  of  the  vowels  U  and  0  :  it  contains  no 
4  hard  consonants,  and  few  transitions  from  one  consonant  to 
4  another  without  the  interposition  of  a  word  which  begins 
4  with  a  vowel ;  therefore  in  the  Word  the  particle  and  so 
4  often  occurs,  as  those  may  see,  who  read  the  Word  in 
4  Hebrew.  Spiritual  Language  is  distinguished  by  the  free 
4  use  of  the  vowels  A  and  I.  In  vowels,  the  affections 
4  move.'t 

Wonderful  is  the  expressiveness  of  Angelic  Speech — 

4  Angels  can  express  in  a  minute  what  Man  cannot  utter 
4  in  half  an  hour,  in  a  single  word  more  than  he  can  in  a 
4  thousand,  and  in  a  few  words  what  would  occupy  pages  of 
4  writing,  as  has  been  proved  to  me  by  much  experience. 

4  There  are  things  innumerable  in  one  Angelic  expression, 
4  which  could  not  be  set  forth  by  all  the  words  of  Human 
4  Language  ;  for  in  every  single  word  spoken  by  Angels  there 
4  are  contained  arcana  of  wisdom  in  continuous  connection, 
4  which  Human  Science  cannot  reach.  Angels  can  recite  in  a 
4  few  words,  the  whole  contents  of  any  book.  They  supply 
4  by  their  tones  what  their  words  do  not  fully  express. 

4 1  have  occasionally  been  let  into  the  state  in  which 
4  Angels  are,  and  at  such  times  have  conversed  with  them  and 
4  understood  everything  they  said ;  but  when  I  returned  to 
4  my  former  state  and  wished  to  recollect  what  I  had  heard,  I 


*  Nos.  236  and  269. 


f  No.  241. 


456 


ANGELS  SPEAKING. 


i  was  not  able.  There  were  a  thousand  things  which  could 
'  not  be  compressed  into  ideas  of  natural  thought,  and  which 
4  therefore  were  ineffable  in  any  degree  by  human  words.'* 

Angelic  Speech  as  it  corresponds  to  Angelic  Affection  is 
musical,  and  its  eloquence  not  only  pleases  the  ear,  but  its 
tenderness  touches  the  heart — 

1  An  Angel  once  spoke  to  a  certain  hard-hearted  Spirit, 
1  and  he  was  at  length  so  affected  by  his  discourse,  that  he 
1  burst  into  tears,  saying,  that  he  could  not  resist  it,  because 
1  it  was  love  speaking,  and  that  he  had  never  wept  before.' t 

Infernal  Language  in  like  manner  is  an  efflux  from  in- 
fernal character — 

'  It  is  held  in  the  utmost  aversion  by  the  Angels.  They 
*  cannot  endure  the  discourse  of  Devils,  which  affects  them  as 
1  a  foul  odour  does  the  nostrils.'} 

I  Angelic  Language  has  nothing  in  common  with  Human 
4  Language,  except  so  far  as  the  sounds  of  words  correspond 
L  to  the  affections  for  which  they  stand.  Angels  cannot  utter 
1  a  single  word  of  Human  Language.  They  have  tried,  but 
'  were  not  able ;  for  it  is  quite  impossible  for  an  Angel  to 
1  form  any  sound  out  of  harmony  with  his  private  affection. 

I I  have  been  told  that  the  primitive  Language  of  Man- 
L  kind  was  in  agreement  with  Angelic  Language  because  they 
'  had  it  from  Heaven,  and  that  the  Hebrew  tongue  agrees 
L  with  it  in  some  particulars.' § 

The  Speech  of  the  Angels  with  Man. 

When  an  Angel  speaks  with  a  Man  he  does  not  make  use 
of  his  own,  but  the  Man's  language ;  thus  in  French  with  a 
Frenchman,  in  Greek  with  a  Greek,  in  Swedish  with  a  Swede. 
This  at  first  sight  may  seem  odd.  As  the  power  to  converse 
in  Angelic  or  Infernal  Language  is  innate  in  every  one  of  us, 


*  Nos.  239,  240  and  269. 
|  No.  245. 


t  Nos.  238  and  242. 
|  No.  237. 


angels'  talk  with  men. 


457 


we  should  have  inferred  that  such  language  was  the  appro- 
priate medium  of  intercourse  ;  and  the  more  especially,  as  we 
have  just  learned,  that  1  Angels  cannot  utter  a  word  of  Human 
1  Language.'  Not  so,  says  Swedenborg,  and  adduces  his 
experience. 

An  Angel  in  talking  to  a  Man  uses  the  Man's  memory — 

1  He  enters  into  the  Man's  memory  so  perfectly  that  he  is 
4  almost  induced  to  believe,  that  he  knows  all  the  Man  knows, 
*  even  all  the  languages  he  has  learned. 

4 1  have  talked  with  Angels  on  the  subject,  and  have  said, 
4  that  possibly  they  might  fancy  they  conversed  with  me  in 
4  my  mother  tongue,  for  so  it  appeared  to  them ;  but  that  they 
1  did  not.' 

Here  comes  the  explanation — 

4  The  Angels  replied,  that  they  were  not  deceived  by  the 
1  appearance,  but  were  aware  of  the  true  state  of  the  case. 
1  When  they  conversed  with  Man  they  conjoined  themselves 
1  with  his  spiritual  thought,  which  flows  into  his  natural 
1  thought,  which  coheres  with  his  memory.  Hence  Man's 
L  language  appears  as  their  own,  and  likewise  all  his  know- 
1  ledge.'* 

Thus,  if  we  understand  aright,  Angels'  thoughts  are  trans- 
mitted through  a  number  of  media  in  the  Mail's  Mind  to  a 
final  investiture  in  the  words  of  his  familiar  tongue.  If  in 
his  memory  there  should  be  no  words  fitted  to  receive  Angels' 
thoughts,  then,  we  presume,  as  incommunicable,  they  would 
be  dissipated. 

If  Angels  comprehended  that  their  ownership  in  Man's 
memory  during  intercourse  with  him,  was  only  apparent  and 
temporary,  there  were  Spirits,  who  would  not  listen  to  such  a 
doctrine — 

'  I  discussed  the  same  question  with  Spirits.  They  were 
1  not  willing  to  believe,  that  they  merely  spoke  from  Man,  but 


*  No.  246. 


458 


SPIRITS  SPEAK  IN  MAX. 


4  asserted,  that  they  spoke  in  Man  ;  and  held  firmly  that  his 
4  memory  was  really  theirs,  and  that  he  knew  nothing.  I 
4  endeavoured  by  many  arguments  to  convince  them  that  thev 
1  were  mistaken,  but  in  vain.'* 

The  conversation  between  an  Angel  and  a  Man  is  not 
tacit — 

*  The  speech  of  an  Angel  or  a  Spirit  with  a  Man  is  heard 
4  as  sonorously  as  the  speech  of  one  Man  with  another ;  never- 
1  theless  it  is  not  heard  by  other  Men  who  are  present,  but 
'  only  by  the  Man  who  is  addressed.  The  speech  of  an  Angel 
4  or  a  Spirit  first  flows  into  a  Man's  thought,  and  then  by  an 
4  internal  way  into  his  ear;  thus  it  affects  him  from  wiikim  : 
4  whereas  the  speech  of  Man  with  Man  flows  first  into  the 
4  air  and  then  into  the  ear,  and  thus  affects  him  from  without. 
4  Hence  it  is  evident  that  the  speech  of  an  Angel  or  a  Spirit 
4  with  a  Man  is  heard  in  the  Man,  but  by  him,  as  sonorously 
4  as  if  without.' f 

The  communications  of  Angels  and  Spirits  are  limited  by 
the  material  foimd  in  Man's  memory — 

4  It  is  not  allowed  that  any  Angel  or  Spirit  should  speak 
4  with  Man  from  his  own  memory,  but  only  from  the  Man's. 
4  If  a  Spirit  were  to  speak  with  a  man  from  his  own  memory, 
4  the  Man  would  appropriate  the  Spirit's  memory  as  his  own, 
4  and  his  Mind  would  become  confused  with  the  recollection 
4  of  things  which  he  had  never  heard  or  seen.  That  this  is 
4  the  case  has  been  given  me  to  know  by  much  experience. 
4  In  consequence  of  the  memories  of  Spirits  getting  muddled 
4  with  Men's,  some  of  the  Ancients  conceived  the  idea,  that 
*  thev  had  existed  in  another  realm  previous  to  their  birth  on 


*  Xo.  248.  In  the  treatise  on  'Conjugial  Lore.'  Xo.  326,  will  be  found  a 
curious  discussion  between  Swedenborg  and  the  Angels  on  this  subject,  -with 
practical  illustrations.  See  also  his  private  experiences  frum  the  'Spiritual 
'  Diary;  pages  293  and  304  of  the  present  volume. 

f  No.  248. 


ANGELS  AND  DEVILS  WITH  MEN. 


459 


1  Earth.  Thus  they  accounted  for  the  possession  of  memo- 
i  ries,  which  they  knew,  had  not  originated  in  ordinary 
i  experience.'* 

This  law  gives  the  reason  for  a  continual  complaint  pre- 
ferred against  those  who  profess  to  hold  communication  with 
the  Spiritual  World — that  they  receive  nothing  new.  On 
the  conditions  here  stated  it  is  manifestly  out  of  the  power  of 
Angels  or  Spirits  or  Devils  to  communicate  anything  new  to 
Men ;  they  are  limited  by  their  Medium's  memory :  the  con- 
tents thereof  may  be  vivified  and  thrown  into  new  forms  by 
the  Agents  who  occupy  it,  but  they  can  add  no  material  of 
their  own.  The  law  likewise  sheds  a  flood  of  light  on 
Swedenborg's  own  case,  for  he  was  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
He  was  indeed,  as  we  have  just  read,  4  occasionally  let  into 
i  the  state  in  which  Angels  are,  and  conversed  in  Angelic 
1  Language,  but  on  his  return  to  his  habitual  condition,  and 
*  wished  to  recollect  what  he  had  heard,  he  was  not  able.'f 

The  Consociation  of  Angels  and  Devils  with  Men. 

Swedenborg  with  even  more  than  his  customary  iteration 
strives  to  impress  on  his  readers  the  fact,  that  Angels  and 
Men  and  Devils  are  intimately  connected — 

£  Man  without  communication  with  Heaven  and  Hell 
1  would  not  be  able  to  live  for  a  moment.  If  communication 
4  were  broken,  he  would  fall  down  dead  as  a  stock. 

4  This  has  been  proved  to  me  by  experience.  The  Spirits 
1  associated  with  me  were  a  little  removed,  and  instantly, 
4  according  to  their  removal,  I  began,  as  it  were,  to  expire ; 
6  and  I  should  have  expired,  unless  they  had  come  back 
4  again. 'I 

The  Universe,  in  Swedenborg's  eyes,  is  One ;  nothing,  he 
asserts,  can  exist  in  isolation  ;  and  the  Human  Mind  is  no 
exception  to  the  law :  by  Goodness  it  is  related  to  the  Angels, 


*  No.  256. 


t  No.  239. 


$  'Arcana  Cwlestia?  No.  5,849. 


460  CONDITIONS  -OF  SPIRITUAL  INTERCOURSE. 


and  by  Evil  to  the  Devils :  in  Hamlet's  words,  it  is  open,  ever 
open,  to  M  airs  from  Heaven  and  blasts  from  Hell." 

Man  and  Nature  are  the  bases  of  Heaven  and  Hell ;  with- 
out them,  their  continuance  would  be  impossible.  The 
Heavens  find  rest  and  embodiment  in  the  good  things  of 
Man  and  Nature,  and  the  Hells  in  the  evil  things.  This  con- 
nection of  Men  with  Angels  and  Devils  is  as  unconscious  on 
their  side  as  on  ours.  When  moved  with  gentle  feelings  we 
do  not  enter  into  open  personal  acquaintance  with  Angels, 
nor  when  stirred  by  vile  passions,  with  Devils,  although  Angels 
or  Devils  live  in  us  at  such  moments. 

4  Spirits,  and  still  less  Angels,  are  not  able  to  see  anything 
4  on  Earth ;  for  the  light  of  our  Sun  is  to  them  thick  dark- 
4  ness ;  nor  can  Man  see  anything  in  the  Spiritual  World,  for 
4  the  light  of  Heaven  is  to  him  thick  darkness. 

4  Angels  and  Spirits  know  as  little  of  Man  as  he  does  of 
4  them,  because  their  state  is  Spiritual  and  his  Natural,  and 
4  the  two  states  are  connected  solely  by  correspondences.'* 

Swedenborg  allowed  Spirits  to  use  his  eyes  as  windows  to 
look  out  on  Earth  and  they  were  charmed  with  the  novel  sen- 
sation ;  whilst  his  own  appearance  in  the  Spiritual  World 
surprised  the  Angels  quite  as  much  as  his  claim  to  be  their 
visitor  astonished  Mankind.  He  relates  this  anecdote  of  the 
wonder  his  appearance  and  disappearance  excited  in  the 
breast  of  an  Angel  who  was  a  Schoolmaster — 

4  I  arose  from  the  Body  in  the  Spirit,  and  approached 
4  him.    On  seeing  me  he  said — 

4  u  Who  are  you  ?  I  was  surprised  as  I  saw  you  coming 
4  u  this  way,  for  at  one  instant  you  came  into  my  sight,  and 
4  44  at  the  next  went  out  of  it ;  or  that  at  one  time  I  saw  you, 
4  u  and  suddenly  I  did  not  see  you :  assuredly  you  are  nut  in 
4  u  the  same  order  of  life  that  we  are." 


*  Nos.  292  and  582,  'Arcana  Ccckstia,'  No.  1,880;  and  'Apucalitjuu 
'£'.^ia/*«,'  No.  1.34G. 


SURPRISE  WITH  SWEDENBORG. 


461 


4 1  replied  smiling — 

4  "  I  am  neither  a  player  nor  Vertumnus,  but  I  am  at  one 
4  44  time  in  your  sight,  and  at  another  out  of  it ;  thus  both  a 
4  "  foreigner  and  a  native." 

4  Thereon  he  looked  at  me  and  said — 

4  44  You  speak  things  strange  and  wonderful :  tell  me,  who 
4  "  are  you?" 

4  44  I  am  in  the  World,"  I  said,  "  in  which  you  have  been, 
4  44  and  from  which  you  have  departed,  and  which  is  called  the 
4  "  Natural  World ;  and  I  am  also  in  the  World  to  which  you 
4  44  have  come,  and  in  which  you  are,  which  is  called  the 
4  44  Spiritual  World.  Hence  I  am  in  a  natural  state,  and  at 
4  44  the  same  time  in  a  spiritual  state ;  in  a  natural  state  with 
4  44  Men  on  Earth,  and  in  a  spiritual  state  with  you :  when  I 
4  44  am  in  the  natural  state  you  do  not  see  me,  but  when  I  am 
4  44  in  the  spiritual  state,  you  do :  that  such  is  my  condition 
4  44  has  been  granted  by  the  Lord.  It  is  known  to  you,  Illus- 
4  44  trious  Sir,  that  a  Man  of  the  Natural  World  does  not  see 
4  44  a  Man  of  the  Spiritual  World,  nor  vice  versa  ;  wherefore 
4  44  when  I  let  my  Spirit  into  my  Body,  you  did  not  see  me, 
4  44  but  when  I  let  it  out  you  did  see  me."  '* 

Angels  and  Men  did  not  always  abide  in  this  unconscious 
association.  We  have  elsewhere  read,  that  in  the  Adamic 
Church  they  were  accustomed  to  hold  sweet  converse  to- 
gether, but  since  those  times  of  innocence,  Heaven  has  been 
shut  and  but  rarely  opened — 

4  Although  many  in  succeeding  ages  have  conversed  with 
4  Angels  and  Spirits,  as  Moses,  Aaron  and  others,  yet  it  has 
4  been  in  a  mode  differing  altogether  from  that  which  prevailed 
4  in  primitive  agcs.'f 

A  reason  for  the  cessation  of  open  intercourse  is  given  by 
Swedenborg  in  the  malignity  of  Evil  Spirits — 

4  If  they  could  perceive  that  they  were  associated  with 


*  lDe  Amore  ConjugiaUj  No.  326. 


f  '•Arcana  CodestiaJ  No.  784. 


462       DANGERS  OF  OPEN  INTERCOURSE  WITH  SPIRITS. 


4  Man,  they  would  attempt  by  a  thousand  means  to  destroy 
4  him  ;  for  they  hate  him  with  a  deadly  hatred.  As  they  knew 
4 1  was  in  the  flesh,  they  were  continually  striving-  to  make  an 
4  end  of  me,  not  as  to  the  Body  only,  but  especially  as  to  the 
4  Soul ;  for  to  destroy  any  Man  or  Spirit  is  the  very  delight 
4  of  all  who  are  in  Hell :  but  I  have  been  all  along  protected 
4  by  the  Lord. 

4  Because  it  is  so  dangerous,  it  is  rarely  allowed  at  this 
4  day  for  Men  to  speak  with  Spirits ;  and  the  greatest  care  is 
4  exercised  by  the  Lord  to  prevent  Spirits  from  knowing  that 
4  they  are  attendant  on  Man.'* 

It  lies  beyond  my  province,  or  it  would  be  very  ca>v 
to  illustrate  Swedenborg's  assertion  of  the  danger  of  in- 
tercourse with  Spirits  from  the  terrible  experiences  of  some 
who  have  forced  themselves  into  open  acquaintance  with  their 
unseen  associates.  Samuel  Leavitt,  speaking  from  the  United 
States  of  America,  fairly  expresses  the  case  when  he  says — 

4  Spiritualism  has  relieved  many  thousand  souls  from  a 
4  fearful  looking-for  of  annihilation,  but  it  has  caused  many 
4  thousand  other  souls  to  wish,  at  times,  that  they  had  never 
4  been  born.' 

Supposing  our  spiritual  eyes  were  opened  we  should  dis- 
cover ourselves  in  the  company  of  Spirits  of  the  same 
character  as  ourselves,  with  thoughts  and  feelings  the  dupli- 
cates of  our  own,  and  ready  to  sanction  every  passion,  and 


*  Nos.  249  and  292  ;  and  1  Arcana  Codestia,''  No.  5,863. 

'  To  converse  with  the  Angels  of  Heaven  is  granted  only  to  those  who  are 
'  in  truths  derived  from  love,  and  especially  to  those  who  are  in  the  acknow- 
1  ledgeinent  of  the  Lord,  and  of  the  Divine  in  His  Human.'    No.  250. 

1  It  is  given  to  no  one  to  speak  with  Angels  unless  he  he  of  an  angelic 
'  quality,  and  thus  fit  to  associate  with  them  —unless  his  faith  and  love  be 
'  directed  to  the  Lord;  and  when  a  Man  by  love  and  faith  is  conjoined  to  the 
'  Lord,  he  is  secure  from  the  assaults  of  Evil  Spirits. 

1  Such  faith  and  love  being  rare,  is  the  reason  why  there  are  so  few  at  this 
1  day  to  whom  it  is  given  to  hold  intercourse  with  Angels.'  1  Arcana  Ccclcstia? 
No.  9,438. 


MAN  AND  THE  BIBLE. 


463 


echo  every  prejudice  we  entertain.  With  such  company  we 
shall  blend  eternally  at  death ;  meanwhile  it  is  better  for  us 
to  endure  contradiction  and  correction  by  contraries  from  our 
Neighbours  on  Earth. 

As  our  characters  change  our  company  changes — c  One 
1  kind  of  Spirits  is  with  us  in  infancy,  another  in  childhood, 
1  another  in  youth  and  manhood,  and  another  in  old  age.'  If 
we  are  regenerating  we  forsake  Devils,  and  progress  from 
lower  to  higher  Heavens  ;  if  we  are  degenerating  we  forsake 
Angels  and  sink  into  deeper  and  deeper  Hells.* 

The  Conjunction  of  Heaven  with  Man  by  the  Word. 

It  has  been  said,  that  Heaven  is  incarnated  in  love  and 
truth  in  Humanity  as  is  a  Soul  in  a  Body ;  or  to  put  the  fact 
in  other  terms,  i  the  Human  Race  without  Heaven  would  be 
1  like  a  chain  which  has  lost  a  link,  and  Heaven  without  the 
1  Human  Race  would  be  like  a  house  without  a  foundation.' f 

Now  whatever  excites  good  feelings  and  true  thoughts  in 
us  serves  Heaven  ;  for  by  good  feelings  and  true  thoughts 
we  are  conjoined  with  the  Angels,  and  Heaven  finds  requisite 
incarnation. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  are  the  grand  means  whereby  the 
Lord  is  made  known  to  us,  and  our  hearts  inflamed  with  His 
love  and  our  minds  illumined  with  His  wisdom.  By  the 
Word  therefore  the  Church  and  Heaven  are  knit  together — 
but  we  had  better  not  anticipate  remarks  which  will  be  more 
in  place  in  a  future  chapter  devoted  to  Swedenborg's  doctrine 
concerning  the  Scriptures. 

1  The  Word  is  kept  by  the  Angels  in  the  most  sacred 
4  recesses  of  their  temples ;  and  when  a  recess  is  opened  it 
L  shines  like  a  great  star,  and  sometimes  like  a  sun,  and  in  the 
1  radiance  are  seen  rainbows. 

'  That  every  truth  of  the  Word  shines  with  a  bright  light 


*  No.  295;  lDe  Fide  Athanasiana,1  No.  4. 


t  No.  304. 


464 


SCRIPTURAL  FIREWORKS. 


c  was  made  evident  to  me  from  the  circumstance,  that  when 
4  any  single  verse  is  transcribed  on  a  scrap  of  paper  and 
1  thrown  up  into  the  air,  a  bright  light  appears  of  the  same 
i  shape  as  the  slip  on  which  the  text  is  written.  In  this  way 
i  the  Angels  produce  brilliant  figures  of  birds,  fishes,  etc. 

c  What  is  still  more  surprising,  if  any  one  rubs  his  face, 
1  hands  and  clothes  on  the  open  Word,  he  shines  as  though  he 
c  were  standing  in  a  star.  This  I  have  often  seen  and  won- 
i  dered  at ;  and  thereby  I  understood  why  the  face  of  Moses 
'  shone  when  he  brought  down  the  tables  of  the  covenant 
'  from  Mount  Sinai. 

4  If  however  any  Spirit,  who  is  in  falses,  looks  at  the 
*  Word,  as  it  rests  in  its  sacred  repository,  there  rises  a  thick 
{  darkness  before  his  eyes,  through  which  the  Word  is  seen 
1  as  black,  and  sometimes  as  covered  with  soot ;  if  he  touch  it 
c  there  at  once  ensues  a  violent  explosion  whereby  he  is  flung 
4  into  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  there  lies  as  one  dead  for 
4  about  an  hour.  If  he  venture  to  try  the  experiment  of 
c  throwing  texts  into  the  air,  they  explode,  and  the  paper  is 
'  torn  in  pieces  and  vanishes.  The  same  happens,  as  I  have 
c  often  seen,  if  the  text  be  thrown  into  the  corner  of  a 
'  room.'* 

Writing  in  Heaven. 

Writing,  like  language,  is  in  Heaven  spontaneous :  it  is 
not  taught ;  it  flows  from  the  hand  of  an  Angel  with  perfect 
ease ;  nor  does  he  ever  pause  to  discuss  or  select  his  expres- 
sions. The  Angels  can  likewise  produce  writings  by  the 
mere  exercise  of  thought ;  but  these  are  not  permanent. f 

The  letters  used  by  the  Angels  of  the  Spiritual  Kingdom 
are  like  the  ordinary  Roman  type  before  the  reader ;  those 
used  by  the  Angels  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom  are  in  some 
Societies  like  Arabic  characters,  and  in  others  like  old  Hebrew 


*  'Vera  Christiana  fieligio,'  Nos.  209  and  241. 


f  Xos.  200  and  262. 


HEAVENLY  LITERATURE. 


465 


letters,  but  inflected  above  and  beneath,  with  marks  around 
and  within  them,  every  dot  and  dash  being  pregnant  with 
meaning. 

1  By  these  letters  the  Angels  express  arcana  of  wisdom 
i  more  than  can  be  got  into  words.  I  have  been  told  that  the 
'  Most  Ancient  People  wrote  in  the  same  way,  <and  that  the 
1  style  was  transferred  to  the  Hebrew,  the  letters  of  which 

*  were  anciently  all  inflected :  not  one  of  them  had  the  square 
i  form  in  use  at  this  day :  hence  too,  the  very  jots  and 
'  tittles  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  involve  divine  and  heavenly 
4  arcana. 

4  I  have  seen  writings  which  consisted  of  nothing  but 
1  numbers ;  and  was  told,  that  they  were  from  the  Inmost 
4  Heaven,  and  that  they  thus  appeared  as  mere  rows  of  figures 

*  to  the  Inferior  Angels  *,  and  likewise,  that  this  numerical 
4  writing  set  forth  arcana,  some  of  which  neither  thought  nor 
4  words  could  compass.'* 

The  Angels  have  books  and  libraries  just  as  Men  have  ; 
and  their  book  of  books  is  the  Bible.  From  it  they  preach, 
from  it  they  draw  doctrine,  and  in  its  pages  find  all  wisdom. 
In  their  version,  however,  they  do  not  read  of  the  places 
and  persons  with  which  we  are  familiar,  but  of  the  spiritual 
realities  of  which  the  Jews,  Canaan  and  the  Gentiles  were 
the  symbols.  In  Heaven  too,  as  on  Earth,  the  Scriptures 
yield  diverse  and  appropriate  nutriment  to  all  manner  of 
sincere  readers. 

4  It  is  a  wonderful  circumstance  that  the  Word  in  Heaven 
4  is  so  written,  that  the  Simple  understand  it  in  simplicity, 
£  and  the  Wise  in  wisdom.  The  various  curvatures  and 
4  marks  over  the  letters,  which  exalt  the  sense,  the  Simple 
4  neither  regard  nor  understand,  whereas  the  Wise  are 
4  attentive  to  them,  and  every  one  according  to  the  height 
4  of  his  wisdom. 'f 


*  Nos.  260  and  263;  and  'Vera  Christiana  Beligio,1  No.  241.      f  No.  241. 

2  H 


466 


CHILDREN  BECOME  ANGELS. 


Infants  in  Heaven, 

All  Infants  go  to  Heaven — wheresoever  born,  whether 
within  the  Church  or  out  of  it,  whether  of  pious  or  of  wic  ked 
parents — and  are  educated  into  Angels. 

Infants  at  death  are  received  by  female  Angels,  who  while 
on  Earth  loved  children  tenderly.  They  accept  them  as 
their  own  ;  the  Infants  love  them  as  mothers  ;  and  each 
Angel  has  as  many  as  satisfies  her  maternal  desires.  As 
the  children  grow  up,  they  are  transferred  to  masters,  whose 
delight  is  in  the  education  of  the  young. 

The  instruction  of  Infants  is  much  easier  in  Heaven  than 
on  Earth,  where  the  action  of  the  Mind  is  fettered  and 
frustrated  by  the  dullness  of  the  flesh.  They  walk,  and 
speak  and  write  with  scarcely  an  effort,  and  being  innocent 
— having  acquired  no  evil  from  actual  life — they  advance 
without  hindrance  in  love  and  in  wisdom.  Nevertheless 
their  freedom  from  sin  is  not  freedom  from  evil — 

4 1  have  conversed  with  Angels  concerning  Infants  in 
4  Heaven,  and  inquired  whether  they  w^ere  pure  from  evils, 
4  because  they  had  done  no  evil  like  Adults.  I  was  told  that 
4  they  are  in  evil,  and  are  indeed  nothing  hut  evil;  that  they, 
4  in  common  with  all  Angels,  are  withheld  from  evil  and  held 
4  in  goodness  by  the  Lord ;  and  that  hence  it  appears  as  if 
4  they  were  good  in  themselves.'* 

This  statement  is  worth  noting  as  a  bold  illustration  of 
a  cardinal  article  in  Swedenborgian  theology. 

Children  are  sedulously  cautioned  by  their  angelic  in- 
structors against  taking  any  pride  in  the  divine  brightness 
and  fervour  which  glow  in  their  lives.  All  their  virtues  are 
the  Lord's,  and  are  no  more  creditable  to  them  than  is  the 
light  wherewith  the  Sun  glorifies  a  room  to  be  ascribed  to 
the  room. 


*  No.  342. 


A  girls'  school. 


467 


*  A  Prince,  who  died  in  infancy  and  was  brought  up  in 

*  Heaven,  fancied  that  he  was  good  of  himself :  in  conse- 

*  quence  thereof  he  was  let  into  his  hereditary  evils,  and 

*  then  I  perceived  from  bis  sphere,  that  he  had  a  desire  to 
?  domineer  over  others,  and  to  trifle  with  adulteries.  As 

*  soon  as  he  perceived  and  confessed  the  real  state  of  his 

*  case,  he  was  restored  to  angelic  life.71* 

There  is  a  curious  account  given  by  our  Author  in  his 
Diary  of  the  manner  in  which  Girls  are  educated  in  Heaven. 
1  They  are  kept  three,  four,  or  five  together,  and  each 

*  has  her  own  chamber  and  her  own  bed }  and  adjoining  is  a 
1  closet  for  clothes  and  utensils.    Perfumes  are  given  them; 

*  also  boxes  and  drawers  in  which  they  keep  the  nick-nacks 
4  in  which  they  delight. 

*  They  are  always  kept  employed  over  needle-work. 
4  This  often  consists  of  embroidery  of  nosegays  and  such  like 
1  on  white  linen ;  which  fancy-work  they  either  use  them* 
1  selves  or  distribute  as  gifts,  but  never  sell. 

4  They  have  dress  for  common  use  and  finer  dress  for 
1  holidays  given  them  gratis,  and  without  knowledge  of  how 
1  or  whence  the  garments  come.  When  they  see  spots  on 
c  their  dress,  it  is  a  sign  that  they  have  thought  or  done 
4  something  amiss ;  and  the  spots  cannot  be  washed  out. 
1  They  therefore  search  their  hearts  to  discover  the  cause, 
1  and  when  the  fault  is  found  and  repented  of,  the  spots 
'  vanish.  In  like  manner,  when  they  discover  that  a  gar- 
L  ment  has  disappeared  from  their  wardrobe,  they  imme- 
c  diately  know  they  have  done  something  wrong,  and 
'  straitway  ponder  over  their  conduct.  If  the  mistake  can- 
4  not  be  ascertained,  some  married  woman  tells  them.  If, 
i  on  the  other  hand,  they  find  a  new  dress  in  their  wardrobe, 
i  they  heartily  rejoice,  for  it  is  a  token  of  well-doing. 

L  They  have  likewise  little  gardens  in  which,  as  long  as 


*  No,  342. 

2  h  2 


468 


INFANTS  IN  HEAVEN. 


4  they  are  maids,  there  are  many  sorts  of  flowers,  but  no 
4  fruits  until  they  become  wives.  When  they  see  the  flowers 
4  fade,  or  degenerate  into  inferior  kinds,  they  search  their 
4  minds  with  sorrow  for  the  cause ;  but  if  their  beauty 
4  increases  and  they  take  higher  forms,  then  are  they  glad, 
4  for  'tis  a  proof,  that  their  thoughts  have  been  well 
4  employed. 

4  They  have  pieces  of  gold  and  silver  money  given  them, 
4  which  they  treasure  as  evidences  of  diligence  and  virtue. 
4  They  have  each  a  copy  of  the  Word  and  a  Psalter,  which 
4  they  carry  to  Church,  and  also  read  in  private ;  if  they 
4  neglect  to  do  so,  or  are  angry,  or  artful,  the  Word 
4  vanishes. 

4  At  times  they  are  visited  and  examined  by  Preachers.'* 
It  is  difficult  to  read  this  artless  description  of  a  heavenly 
boarding-school  without  thinking  of  something  like  Miss 
Pinkerton's  academy  for  young  ladies  on  Chiswiek  Mall  in 
4  Vanity  Fair.1 

The  third  part  of  Heaven  consists  of  Infants.f  and  in 
the  Grand  Heavenly  Man  they  constitute  the  province  of 
the  Eye.  Some  are  of  a  celestial  and  some  of  a  spiritual 
genius,  and  are  assorted  accordingly  in  Societies.! 

4  The  state  of  Men  who  grow  up  to  maturity  on  Earth 
4  may  be  as  perfect  as  the  state  of  Infants  brought  up  in 
4  Heaven,  provided  Self-Love  and  Love  of  the  World  arc 
4  subordinated  to  the  Love  of  the  Lord  and  the  Neighbour.^ 

Gentiles  in  Heaven. 

4  It  is  a  common  opinion,  that  they  who  are  born  out  of 
4  the  Church,  and  are  called  Heathen  or  Gentiles,  cannot  be 
4  saved  because  they  do  not  possess  the  Word,  and  thus  are 
4  ignorant  of  the  Lord,  without  whom  there  is  no  salvation  ; 


*  'Diarium  Spiritual*  *  Nos.  .">;000-C7. 

;  Nos.  333  and  339. 


f  N.».  4. 
g  No.  3i:, 


GENTILES  BECOME  AXGELS. 


469 


4  but  it  is  certain,  that  they  may  be  saved,  because  the  mercy 
4  of  the  Lord  is  universal,  and  extends  to  every  individual ; 
4  because  they  are  born  Men  as  well  as  those  who  are  within 
4  the  Church, — who  are  respectively  few, — and  because  it  is 
4  no  fault  of  theirs,  that  they  are  ignorant  of  the  Lord. 

4  That  Gentiles  are  saved  as  well  as  Christians,  may  be 
4  known  to  those  who  understand  what  makes  Heaven  with 
4  Man  ;  for  Heaven  is  in  Man,  and  they  who  have  Heaven 
i  in  themselves  go  to  Heaven  after  death. 

4  It  is  Heaven  in  Man  to  acknowledge  a  Divine  Being, 
4  and  to  be  led  by  Him  in  doing  His  will  as  far  as  it  is 
4  known. 

4  Now  it  is  well  known,  that  the  Gentiles  live  a  moral  life  as 
i  well  as  Christians,  and  many  of  them  a  better.  A  moral  life 
4  is  led  either  for  the  sake  of  God,  or  for  the  applause  of  the 
4  world.  Moral  life  for  the  sake  of  God  is  also  spiritual  life  ; 
4  it  is  life  from  God,  and  saves  a  Man ;  but  moral  life  for 
4  the  sake  of  worldly  applause  is  mere  selfishness,  and  has 
4  nothing  of  Heaven  in  it. 

4  It  is  a  divine  truth,  that  without  the  Lord  there  is  no 
4  salvation ;  but  this  is  to  be  understood  as  implying,  that 
4  there  is  no  salvation  but  from  the  Lord.  There  are  many 
4  Earths  in  the  Universe  full  of  inhabitants,  yet  in  scarcely 
4  any  of  them  is  it  known,  that  the  Lord  assumed  Humanity 
4  on  our  Earth ;  nevertheless  as  they  adore  the  Divine  Being 
4  under  a  Human  Form,  they  are  accepted  and  led  by  the 
4  Lord.'* 

Gentiles  are  prepared  for  Heaven  in  the  World  of  Spirits 
by  Angels,  who  have  risen  from  their  own  ranks,  and  who 
can  therefore  deal  sympathetically  with  their  difficulties. 
The  good  quickly  reject  their  idolatries  and  receive  the 
Christian  faith.  4  When  they  hear  that  God  was  made  Man, 
4  and  thus  manifested  Himself  on  Earth,  they  instantly 


*  Nos.  318,  319  and  321. 


470 


HEATHENS  BEFORE  CHRISTIANS. 


4  acknowledge  the  truth  and  adore  the  Lord.'*    The  best  of 

the  Gentiles  come  from  Africa. 

In  reading  these  statements  of  rapid  conversion  from 
Heathenism  to  Christianity,  we  must  hear  in  mind  the 
affinity  which,  Swedenborg  maintains,  exists  between  a  good 
heart  and  the  truth,  so  that  the  one  has  but  to  meet  the 
other,  and  the  result  is  instant  and  intimate  union.  For 
example — 

4  A  certain  Spirit  from  among  the  Gentiles,  who  had 
4  lived  on  Earth  in  charity  according  to  his  religious  belief, 
4  heard  some  Christian  Spirits  reasoning  about  articles  of 
4  faith,  and  wondered  at  their  wrangling.  He  said  he  did 
4  not  like  to  hear  them,  for  they  reasoned  from  appearances 
4  and  fallacies,  and  reproved  them  by  observing,  w  If  I  am 
4  44  good,  I  can  know,  from  goodness  itself,  what  things  are 
4  44  true ;  and  what  truths  I  do  not  know,  I  am  able  to 
444  receive.7"  t 

That  he  might  appreciate  the  quality  of  the  Gentiles, 
Swedenborg  was  allowed  to  converse  with  them  in  the 
Spiritual  World,  4  sometimes  for  hours  and  sometimes  for 
4  days  together.'^:  How  high  was  his  opinion  of  their 
character  in  comparison  with  Christians,  and  how  positive 
his  hope  that  the  Church  was  to  be  transferred  to  them,  we 
have  seen  in  the  4  Arcana  Calestia.1  Of  the  precious  material 
for  the  structure  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  which  he  fancied  he 
had  discovered  in  Heathendom,  he  gives  a  specimen  in  the 
following  narrative — 

4  Once  when  I  was  reading  the  XVII.  and  XYHI.  chap- 
4  tors  of  Judges,  concerning  Micah,  whose  graven  image, 
4  Teraphim,  and  Levite  were  taken  from  him  by  the  sons  of 
4  Han,  a  Gentile  Spirit  was  present,  who  when  on  Earth  had 
4  worshipped  a  graven  image.  He  heard  attentively  what 
4  was  done  to  Micah,  and  of  the  grief  he  suffered  for  the  loss 


*  Not.  831  ami  514 


f  Nos.  320  and  321 


\  No.  322. 


GOODNEfle  EASILY  RECEIVES  TRUTH.  471 


4  of  his  idol,  and  his  sympathetic  sorrow  was  so  great  that 
4  it  nearly  deprived  him  of  the  power  of  thought.  I  perceived 
4  his  sorrow  and  his  innocence  of  heart.  Some  Christian 
4  Spirits  were  present,  and  wondered  how  the  worshipper  of 
4  a  graven  image  should  be  moved  with  so  great  an  affection 
4  of  mercy  and  innocence. 

1  Afterwards  some  Good  Spirits  talked  with  him,  and 
1  observed  that  he  might  know,  as  a  rational  being,  that  a 
4  graven  image  ought  jiot  to  be  worshipped  ;  but  that  he 
4  ought  to  think  of  God,  independently  of  idols,  as  the 
4  Creator  and  Governor  of  the  Universe,  and  that  the  Lord 
4  is  that  God. 

4  When  this  conversation  was  going  on,  the  interior 
4  affection  of  the  Gentile's  worship  was  communicated  to  me, 
4  and  I  perceived,  that  it  was  much  more  holy  than  Christians'. 
4  From  this  circumstance  it  is  evident,  that  the  Gentiles  of 
4  the  present  day  enter  Heaven  more  easily  than  Christians.* 

1  This  Gentile  Spirit  was  capable  of  imbibing  all  the 
4  doctrines  of  faith,  and  of  retaining  them  with  the  deepest 
4  affection  ;  for  he  possessed  the  compassion  which  springs 
4  from  love,  and  his  ignorance  was  full  of  innocence  ;  and 
4  where  love  and  innocence  are  present,  the  truths  of  faith 
4  are  received  as  it  were  spontaneously  and  with  joy.  He 
4  was  afterwards  received  amongst  the  Angels.' f 

Governments  in  Heaven. 

Heaven  is  one  as  the  Human  Body  is  one  :  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  as  that  Body  is  made,  it  is  but  a  rough  cast  of 
a  finer  internal  spiritual  Body  ;  and  that  again  is  the  little 
image  of  a  Grand  Man  constituted  of  the  Universe  of 
Angels. 

Since  Heaven  i3  one,  a  compact  unity  of  which  a  hale 


Probably  quite  true  ;  but  what  a  large  inference  from  a  small  experience  ! 
t  No.  324. 


472 


ANGELIC  GOVERNMENT. 


and  comely  Human  Body  is  the  fairest  emblem,  it  is  evident 
that  order  and  subordination  must  prevail  throughout  all 
its  regions ;  and  as  order  and  subordination  do  not  come 
of  themselves,  there  are  necessarily  Governments  whereby 
they  are  realized. 

4  The  Governments  of  Heaven  are  various  ;  of  one  sort 
4  in  the  Societies  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom,  and  of  another 
4  sort  in  the  Societies  of  the  Spiritual  Kingdom  :  they  differ 
4  likewise  according  to  the  function  of  each  Society  ;  but  hi 
4  all  the  Government  is  that  of  Mutual  Love  ;  there  is  no 
4  other  Government  in  Heaven. 

4  The  Angels  of  each  Society  are  in  similar  Goodness, 
4  but  not  in  similar  AVisdom ;  and  Governors  are  distinguished 
4  by  excess  of  Wisdom  over  their  fellows.  They  will  well 
4  to  all,  and,  by  their  superior  intelligence,  know  how  to 
4  effect  the  good  they  will.  They  do  not  domineer,  but 
4  minister  and  serve.  They  do  not  make  themselves  greater 
4  than  others,  but  less  ;  for  they  put  the  good  of  their 
4  Societies  in  the  first  place,  and  their  own  good  in  the  last. 
4  Nevertheless  they  enjoy  honour  and  glory,  for  they  dwell 
4  in  the  midst  of  their  Societies  in  magnificent  palaces  on 
4  elevated  sites ;  but  they  accept  glory  and  honour,  not  for 
4  their  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  obedience,  and  for  the 
4  satisfaction  of  those  who  render  it. 

A  like  Government  prevails  in  every  heavenly  House- 
hold. 4  There  is  a  master  and  there  are  servants :  the 
4  master  loves  the  servants,  and  the  servants  love  the 
4  master ;  and  so  they  serve  each  other  from  love.  The 
4  master  teaches  the  servants  how  they  ought  to  live,  and 
4  directs  them  what  to  do,  and  the  servants  obey  with  heart, 
4  head  and  hands.  To  be  useful  is  the  life's  delight  of  every 
Angel ;  and  thus  the  Kingdom  of  the  Lord  is  a  Kingdom 
4  of  Uses.'* 


*  ISos.  213  to  210. 


EVERY  ANGEL  IN  BUSINESS, 


473 


The  Employments  of  the  Angels. 

Heaven  is  a  world  of  business,  not  of  idleness.  Every 
Angel  has  an  employment  in  perfect  correspondence  with 
his  disposition  and  intellect ;  and  from  the  fulfilment  of  his 
duty,  springs  the  joy  of  his  existence.  Here  on  Earth, 
many  are  wretched  because  they  are  set  to  work  with  which 
their  nature  has  no  congruity ;  but  in  the  exquisite  organi- 
zation of  Heaven  every  office  is  filled  with  an  officer  whose 
natural  character  is  at  one  with  his  function  ;  and  hence 
each  detail  of  heavenly  affairs  is  transacted  with  the  peculiar 
efficiency  of  genius.  Every  Angel  does  what  he  loves  to 
do ;  and  under  the  Divine  Administration  this  perfect  free- 
dom is  reconciled  with  perfect  order — '  co-ordinated  and 
L  subordinated  to  one  general  Use,  which  is  the  Common 
'Good.'* 

There  are  none  of  our  earthly  drudgeries  in  Heaven ;  no 
dress-making,  no  house-building,  no  bread-finding  ;f  no 
languages  to  learn,  reading  and  writing  as  easy  as  speech, 
and  travel  as  easy  as  thought ;  for  where  an  Angel  desires 
to  be,  there  he  finds  himself.  There  are  however  no 
sinecures  in  Heaven ;  no  one  there  receives  anything  for 
nothing ;  the  income  of  an  Angel,  as  expressed  in  the  mag- 
nificence of  his  garniture,  is  measured  strictly  by  his  useful- 
ness ;  every  eye  may  read  the  one  in  the  other. 

'  It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  or  describe  specifically  the 
i  Employments  of  Heaven  :  they  are  innumerable,  and  com- 
1  pared  with  them,  those  known  on  Earth  are  few.  There 
4  are  ecclesiastical  affairs,  civil  affairs,  and  domestic  affairs  in 
L  every  Society.  Some  Societies  spend  their  energies  in  the 
1  nurture  of  Infants,  others  educate  Children,  others  instruct 
'  the  Simple  from  Christendom,  others  instruct  the  Gentiles-, 
4  others  attend  Souls  in  their  transition  by  death  from  Earth 


*  No.  392. 


t  Nos.  190  and  393, 


474 


A  DAT  IN  HEAVEN. 


4  to  Spirit,  others  protect  New  Comers  from  the  wiles  of  Evil 
4  Spirits,  others  minister  to  their  necessities  during  their 
4  probation  in  the  World  of  Spirits,  and  others  are  present 
4  with  those  who  are  in  Hell  preventing  undne  mischief.  In 
4  general,  all  Angels  are  associated  with  Mankind,  and  bv 
4  their  influence  restrain  sinful  desires  and  thoughts.  All 
4  these  Uses  are  effected  bv  the  Lord  through  the  Angels ; 
4  the  Angels  do  not  perform  them  of  themselves,  but  from 
4  the  Lord  * 

4  To  live  for  others  is  to  perform  Uses.  Uses  are  the 
4  bonds  of  Society,  and  their  number  is  infinite.  The 
4  delights  of  the  love  of  Uses  are  ten  thousand  times  ten 
4  thousand  :  and  all  who  enter  into  Heaven,  enter  into  those 
4  delight?.'! 

The  order  and  distribution  of  daily  duties  differ,  of  course, 
in  different  Societies,  but  it  may  be  interesting  to  learn,  that 
in  one  heavenlv  citv  which  Swedenbors:  visited,  the  inhabi- 
tants  were  wakened  in  the  morning  by  sweet  songs  of  virgins 
resounding  through  the  streets.  During  the  forenoon  the 
whole  citv  was  silent ;  no  noise  was  heard  in  any  part,  nor 
any  person  seen  loitering  in  the  streets  :  all  were  busy  within 
doors.  At  noon,  boys  and  girls  came  forth  to  play,  and  their 
masters  and  mistresses  sat  in  the  porches  of  their  houses 
watching  their  games  and  keeping  order.  Outside  the  city, 
young  men  and  boys  held  various  sport,  such  as  running, 
tennis,  etc.  The  boys  were  also  tested  as  to  their  quickness 
of  wit  in  perception,  speech  and  action,  and  the  successful 
were  rewarded  with  leaves  of  laurel.  Concerts  and  theatres 
were  provided  for  the  entertainment  of  the  older  folks.  In 
the  theatres  of  Heaven  the  actors  represent  the  graces  and 
virtues  of  moral  life ;  nothing  vile  is  allowed  to  appear  on 
the  heavenlv  stage :  wickedness  if  mentioned,  is  only  hinted 


*  Nos.  301-3C3. 


t  'Ik  Amore  Cvnjvgudi.'  No.  I& 


ALL  SPIRITS  FROM  MANKIND. 


475 


at;  and  the  angelic  playwright  obtains  his  effects  by  con- 
trasting degrees  of  goodness  and  degrees  of  truth.* 

ATI  Angels  and  aU  Devils  were  once  Men. 

1  It  is  altogether  unknown  in  Christendom,  that  Heaven 
!  and  Hell  are  from  the  Human  Eace.  It  is  believed  that 
4  Angels  were  created  Angels  at  the  beginning,  and  that  this 
4  was  the  origin  of  Heaven  ;  that  the  Devil  or  Satan  was  an 
4  Angel  of  Light,  who  became  rebellions,  and  was  cast  down 
4  from  Heaven  with  his  adherents,  and  that  this  was  the 
4  origin  of  HelL 

4  The  Angels  are  amazed,  that  such  notions  should  pre- 
4  vail,  but  rejoice  in  heart,  that  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  now 
4  to  reveal  to  Mankind  many  particulars  concerning  Heaven 
4  and  Hell,  and  thus  as  far  as  possible,  to  dispel  the  dark- 
4  ness,  which  is  every  day  increasing,  because  the  Church  is 
4  come  to  its  end. 

4  The  Angels  therefore  desire  me  to  state,  that  there  is 
4  not  a  single  Angel  in  the  Universal  Heaven,  who  was 
4  originally  created  an  Angel,  nor  any  Devil  in  Hell,  who 
4  was  created  an  Angel  of  Light  and  afterwards  cast  down 
4  thither ;  but  that  all,  both  in  Heaven  and  Hell,  are  from 
4  the  Human  Eace ;  that  Angels  were  once  Men  who  lived 
4  on  Earth  in  heavenly  love  and  faith,  and  that  Devils  were 
4  once  Men  who  lived  in  infernal  love  and  faith.' t 

The  Immensity  of  Heaven. 

4  That  Heaven  is  immense  is  evident  from  the  fact,  that 
4  all  who  have  lived  in  goodness  from  Creation  are  there. 
4  How  vast  is  the  multitude  who  inhabit  our  Earth  is  known 
4  to  all  who  are  conversant  with  its  geography ;  and  it  is 
4  calculated,  that  of  them  thousands  die  every  day  and  some 
4  millions  every  year.    This  mortality  commenced  from  the 


*  kDe  Amore  Conjugicdi,'  No.  17. 


f  No,  311. 


476 


IMMENSITY  OF  HEAVEN. 


4  earliest  times,  thousands  of  years  ago  ;  but  how  many  have 
4  become  Angels,  and  how  many  now  become  Angels,  it  is 
4  impossible  to  say.  I  have  been  told,  that  in  Ancient  Times, 
4  the  yield  of  Angels  was  very  numerous,  but  that  in  suc- 
4  ceeding  ages  the  heavenly  numbers  fell  off. 

4  That  the  Heaven  of  the  Lord  is  immense  follows  from 
4  the  single  consideration,  that  all  little  children,  wheresoever 
1  born,  are  adopted  by  the  Lord  and  become  Angels.  What 
1  a  multitude  from  this  source  alone  must  have  entered 
1  Heaven  since  Creation  ! 

4  Then,  too,  we  must  remember  that  our  Earth  is  but  a 
4  little  one  in  an  innumerable  host  of  Planets,  populated 
4  with  Men  and  Women,  and  qualifying  like  ourselves  for 
4  existence  in  Heaven.'* 

Reverting  to  his  favourite  analogy  of  Heaven  to  a  Man 
in  every  particular,  he  tells  us — 

4  The  correspondence  between  them  can  never  be  com- 
4  pletely  filled  up  :  for  it  is  not  only  a  correspondence  with 
4  every  member,  organ  and  viscus  of  the  Body  in  general, 
4  but  with  all  and  each  of  the  minute  viscera  and  organs,  yea 
4  with  every  single  vessel  and  every  single  fibre  ;  and  not 
4  with  these  only,  but  with  the  delicate  organic  substances 
4  which  most  closely  subserve  the  operations  of  the  Mind.'f 

The  perfection  of  the  Heavenly  Form  increases  with 
numbers — 

4  In  number  is  variety,  and  in  well-arranged  variety  is 
4  perfection.  Every  angelic  Society  therefore  finds  its  profit 
4  in  its  daily  accession  of  Spirits  from  Earth  J  and  in  the 
4  growth  of  each  Society  the  L'niversal  Heaven  prospers. 

4  Hence  it  is  plain  how  much  they  are  deceived,  who  fancy 
4  Heaven  will  be  closed  as  soon  as  it  is  full.  On  the  contrary, 
4  Heaven  will  never  be  closed,  for  the  greater  its  fullness  the 


*  Nos.  415-417. 


t  No.  418. 


WHO  CAN  ABIDE  IN  HEAVEN. 


477 


4  greater  its  perfection ;  and  therefore  the  Angels  desire 
4  nothing  more  earnestly  than  to  receive  new-comers.* 

4  It  has  been  granted  me  to  behold  the  extent  of  Heaven 
4  which  is  inhabited,  and  also  that  which  is  not  inhabited ; 
4  and  I  saw  that  the  extent  of  Heaven  not  inhabited  is  so 
4  vast,  that  myriads  of  Earths  as  thickly  peopled  as  our  own 
4  could  not  fill  it  to  all  eternity. 'f 

Character  is  the  only  Passport  to  Heaven. 

It  has  been  observed,  that  wherever  there  is  a  Man  whose 
Ruling  Love  is  benevolent,  there  is  an  Angel,  and  wherever 
there  is  one  whose  Ruling  Love  is  selfish,  there  is  a  Devil. 
Now  Character,  as  determined  by  the  Ruling  Love,  is  after 
death  fixed  and  unchangeable,  and  by  no  process  of  conjura- 
tion can  infernal  Character  be  transmuted  into  heavenly. 

'  It  is  commonly  supposed,  that  entrance  into  Heaven  is  a 
4  gift  of  free  mercy  to  such  as  have  faith  and  for  whom  the 
4  Lord  intercedes ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  it  is  an  exercise 
4  of  arbitrary  Divine  favour,  and  that  all  might  be  saved  if 
4  it  were  the  Lord's  pleasure ;  yea,  some  even  go  further,  and 
4  fancy,  that  did  He  choose,  Hell  might  be  transformed  to 
4  Heaven.  These  notions  betray  complete  ignorance  of  the 
4  nature  and  constitution  of  Heaven. 

4  The  greater  part  of  those  who  enter  the  Spiritual 
4  World  from  Christendom  imagine,  that  if  only  allowed  to 
4  pass  the  gates  of  Heaven,  eternal  bliss  would  be  ensured. 
4  They  are  told  for  their  instruction,  that  Heaven  is  not 
4  denied  to  any  one  by  the  Lord,  and  that  if  they  please, 
4  they  may  go  there  and  stay  as  long  as  they  like.  When 
4  however  they  make  the  attempt,  they  are  seized  at  the 
4  very  threshold  with  such  anguish,  that,  in  their  torment, 
4  they  cast  themselves  down  headlong. 

4  Ample  experience  enables  me  to  testify,  that  it  is  im- 


*  No.  71. 


t  No.  419. 


478 


NO  CHANGE  AFTER  DEATH. 


4  possible  to  communicate  heavenly  life  to  those  who  have 
4  led  an  infernal  life  on  Earth. 

4  Some  who  believed  they  could  easily  receive  divine 
4  truths  after  death  from  the  lips  of  Angels  and  therewith 
4  amend  their  habits,  were  subjected  to  the  experiment. 
*  Some  of  them  understood  the  truths  they  heard,  and 
4  appeared  to  accept  them ;  but  presently,  when  left  to  them- 
4  selves,  they  rejected,  and  even  argued  against,  what  they 
1  had  learned.  Others  denied  the  truths  as  quickly  as  they 
4  were  spoken.  There  were  some  Spirits  who  wished  their 
4  ruling  Self-Love  converted  into  Heavenly  Love,  and  the 
4  trial  was  made  ;  but  when  their  Self-Love  was  taken  away, 
4  they  had  no  life  left  and  lay  as  if  dead. 

4  From  these  and  similar  experiments,  Good  Spirits  were 
4  convinced  that  no  change  in  Character  is  possible  after 
4  death,  that  evil  life  cannot  be  turned  into  good  life,  nor  a 
4  Devil  into  an  Angel.  Every  Spirit  is  from  head  to  foot  of 
4  the  same  quality  as  his  Ruling  Love ;  and  to  transmute 
4  that  Love  into  another  Love  would  be  to  destroy  him 
4  altogether' — would  be  to  create  another  being.  4  The 
4  Angels  declare  that  it  would  be  easier  to  change  a  bat  into 
4  a  dove,  or  an  owl  into  a  bird  of  paradise,  than  a  Devil  into 
4  an  Angel.* 

4  Hence,  Heaven  and  Hell  are  so  utterly  separated,  that 
4  a  Spirit  who  is  in  Hell  dare  not  raise  the  crown  of  his 
4  head,  or  even  put  forth  a  finger  out  of  it ;  for  just  as  he 
4  does  so,  is  he  tortured  and  tormented.  This  I  have  often 
4  seen.'f 

The  impossibility  of  change  after  death  is  an  awful 
thought,  but  it  is  an  inevitable  deduction  from  that  law  of 
the  Spiritual  World,  which  Swedenborg  so  copiously  illus- 
trates, namely,  that  the  Mind  of  a  Spirit  governs  his  circum- 
stances, and  that  therefore  he  can  only  associate  with  Spirits 


*  Nos.  521  and  f>27. 


f  No.  400. 


EASY  TO  GET  TO  HEAVEN. 


479 


like  himself,  and  only  hear  and  see  what  is  in  harmony  with 
his  nature.  It  is  very  plain,  that  under  such  conditions, 
growth  (in  the  sense  of  access  of  new  powers)  is  impossible. 
An  earthly  tyrant  we  are  accustomed  to  commiserate,  since 
surrounded  with  courtiers  who  echo  his  opinions  and  flatter 
his  prejudices,  he  is  shut  off  from  instruction  and  correction  : 
yet  such  is  precisely  the  fate  of  every  one  who  by  death  is 
transferred  from  the  objective  phenomena  of  Earth  to  the 
subjective  phenomena  of  Spirit. 

In  the  foregoing'  descriptions  of  the  economy  of  the 
Heavens,  the  reader  will  scarcely  have  failed  to  remark  the 
vein  of  shrewd  good  sense  which  pervades  the  whole.  If 
even  their  Author  be  pronounced  a  dreamer,  it  will  surely 
be  confessed,  that  never  were  dreams  so  reasonable,  or  so 
like  transcripts  of  realities.  Swedenborg's  practical  temper 
stands  out  in  bold  relief  in  the  chapter  wherein  he  informs 
us — 

lThat  it  is  not  so  Difficult,  as  many  suppose,  to  live  the  Life 
4  which  leads  to  Heaven. 

4  Some  people  imagine,  that  it  is  difficult  to  live  the  Life 
4  which  leads  to  Heaven.  They  have  been  told,  that  to  live 
4  spiritually,  the  world  with  its  riches  and  honours  must  be 
4  renounced,  the  flesh  denied  its  pleasures,  and  existence  be 
1  devoted  to  meditation  on  God,  salvation  and  eternal  life, 
4  and  in  reading  the  Word  and  other  pious  books. 

4  That  the  truth  is  far  otherwise  has  been  revealed  to  me 
4  by  much  experience  and  conversation  with  Angels. 

4  In  order  that  a  Man  may  receive  the  Life  of  Heaven  it 
4  is  necessary,  that  he  live  in  the  World  and  engage  in  its 
4  business ;  for  thus  by  a  Moral  and  Civil  Life  he  receives 
4  Spiritual  Life ;  nor  can  he  receive  Spiritual  Life  and  be- 
4  come  fitted  for  Heaven  in  any  other  way ;  for  to  live  an 
4  Internal  Life,  and  not  at  the  same  time  an  External  Life,  is 
4  like  dwelling  in  a  house  which  has  no  foundation,  and 


480 


WE  SHOULD  BE  WHAT  WE  SEEM. 


*  which  therefore  gradually  sinks  into  the  ground,  or  be- 
4  come3  full  of  chinks  and  breaches,  or  totters  till  it  falls.'* 

Human  Life  he  defines  as  threefold — as  Civil,  Moral  and 
Spiritual — as  that  of  the  Citizen,  the  Friend,  and  the 
Saint— 

*  Each  of  these  Lives  Lb  perfectly  distinct ;  for  there  are 
4  some  Men  who  live  a  Civil  Life  but  not  a  Moral  and 
1  Spiritual  Life  ;  others  live  a  Moral  Life  but  not  a  Spiritual ; 
4  whilst  others  combine  the  three,  and  these  live  the  Life  of 
4  Heaven.' f 

This  distinction,  and  the  fact  of  the  separation  of  these 
Lives,  must  lie  within  the  experience  of  everyone  :  Sweden- 
borg's  peculiarity  consists  in  the  assertion  of  the  impossi- 
bility of  the  existence  of  Spiritual  Life  unless  invested  in 
Moral  and  Civil  Life — 

4  Spiritual  Life  is  conjoined  with  Civil  and  Moral  Life 
i  as*  the  Soul  is  with  the  Body,  and  if  sundered  therefrom,  it 
4  would  be  like  a  house  without  foundation.  Moral  and  Civil 
4  Life  is  the  action  of  Spiritual  Life;  for  Spiritual  Life  con- 
4  sists  in  willing  well)  and  Moral  and  Civil  Life  in  acting 
4  v:eli:\ 

So  much  premised,  he  proceeds  to  argue,  that  to  live 
spiritually  is  a  matter  of  no  great  difficulty — 

4  For  nearly  everybody  lives  a  Civil  and  Moral  Life. 
4  Who  does  not  strive  to  be  reputed  sincere  and  just  ? 
4  Almost  all  Men  are  outwardly  honest  and  upright. '§ 

Xow  the  Spiritual  Man  is  not  under  any  obligation  to 
live  differently  from  the  Civil  and  the  Moral  Man,  or  to 
deny  himself  any  pleasures  which  they  enjoy ;  he  is  simply 
required  to  be  what  they  seem — 

4  He  is  sincere  and  just,  not  merely  because  Moral  and 
4  Civil  Laws  require,  but  because  Divine  Law  commands.  In 
4  all  his  actions,  his  thoughts  refer  themselves  to  the  Divine 


*  No.  528.  f  No.  520  i  No.  689.  $  No.  530. 


THE  HEAVENLY  QUALIFICATION.  481 

4  Will,  and  thereby  he  is  unconsciously,  but  actually,  united 
1  with  Angels  and  adopted  and  led  by  the  Lord. 

4  There  appears  no  difference  between  the  conduct  of 
4  the  Spiritual  Man  and  the  Civil  and  Moral  Man  ;  but  the 
4  similarity  is  no  deeper  than  appearance.  The  Civil  and 
4  Moral  Man  does  what  is  right  because  he  dreads  the  law, 
4  and  the  loss  of  reputation  and  profit ;  and  if  not  restrained 
4  by  such  fears,  he  would  commit  any  act,  which  he  might 
4  deem  advantageous.  Such  a  man  has  Hell  within  him. 
4  The  Spiritual  Man  does  what  is  right  because  to  do  wrong 
4  would  be  to  sin  against  God  and  his  Neighbour  ;  and  there- 
4  fore  though  no  eye  regard  him,  his  behaviour  is  unaffected 
4 — he  still  deals  righteously.  Such  a  Man  has  Heaven 
4  within  him.  Hence  it  is  clear,  that  though  the  conduct  of 
4  the  Heavenly  and  the  Infernal  Man  be  externally  alike, 
4  they  are  internally  altogether  dissimilar.'* 

All  then  which  a  Man  has  to  do  to  qualify  for  Heaven  is 
to  govern  his  conduct  by  spiritual  motives — 

4  When  anything  enters  his  Mind  which  he  knows  to 
4  be  insincere  and  unjust,  but  which  he  is  inclined  to  do, 
4  nothing  more  is  necessary  than  that  he  should  reflect,  that 
4  it  ought  not  to  be  done  because  contrary  to  the  Divine 
4  Commandments.  As  he  accustoms  himself  so  to  think,  and 
4  acquires  a  habit  from  that  custom,  he  is  gradually  con- 

4  joined  to  Heaven  When  he  has  made  a  beginning, 

4  the  Lord  operates  within  him  and  produces  all  kinds  of 
4  goodness,  and  enables  him  not  only  to  see  his  evils,  but  to 
4  reject  them  from  his  heart,  and  finally  to  hold  them  in 
4  aversion.  This  is  meant  by  the  Lord's  words — 44  My  yoke 
4  44  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light."  'f 

Provided  then,  that  God  is  thus  inwardly  revered  and 
obeyed,  there  is  no  need  that  a  Man  should  deny  himself 
in  anything — 


*  Nos.  358  and  530. 


t  No.  533. 

2  I 


482 


LIFE  IN  THE  WORLD  HARMLESS. 


4  He  may  live  outwardly  as  others  do,  grow  rich,  keep  a 
'  plentiful  table,  dwell  in  a  fine  house,  wear  splendid  apparel 
4  suitable  to  his  rank,  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  the  world 
4  and  the  flesh.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  it  is  not  so  difficult 
4  to  lire  for  Heaven  as  some  believe.  The  sole  hindrance  lies 
4  in  the  resistance  of  the  Loves  of  Self  and  the  World  to 
4  subjection  :  from  their  predominance  in  the  character  every 
4  evil  flows.'* 

In  the  same  strain  he  continues — 

4  It  is  quite  allowable  that  a  Man  should  acquire  and 
4  accumulate  wealth,  provided  he  employ  no  cunning  or 
'  wicked  artifice  ;  that  he  should  eat  and  drink  delicately, 
4  provided  he  do  not  make  life  consist  in  eating  and  drinking  ; 
(  that  he  should  dwell  in  magnificence  according  to  his  estate  ; 
4  that  he  should  converse  as  others  do,  frequent  places  of 
4  amusement,  and  busy  himself  in  worldly  affairs.  There 
4  is  no  necessity  for  him  to  assume  a  devout  aspect,  a  sad 
1  countenance,  or  to  hang  his  head  ;  he  may  be  glad  and 
4  cheerful :  nor  is  he  compelled  to  give  to  the  Poor,  except 
4  so  far  as  he  is  moved  by  affection.  In  one  word,  he  may 
4  live  outwardly  as  a  Man  of  the  World,  and  such  conduct 
4  will  not  hinder  his  admission  to  Heaven,  if  only  he  thinks 
4  interiorly  in  a  becoming  manner  of  God,  and  in  all  business 
4  deals  righteously  with  his  Neighbour. "t 

From  certain  expressions  in  the  letter  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  it  has  been  inferred  that  the  Rich  cannot  enter 
4  Heaven  ;  but  this  is  altogether  a  mistake — 

4  From  much  conversation  and  experience  among  Angels, 
4  it  has  been  given  me  to  know  most  certainly  that  the  Rich 
4  enter  Heaven  as  easily  as  the  Poor  ;  that  no  one  is  excluded 
4  from  Heaven  because  he  has  lived  in  abundance,  and  that 
4  no  one  is  admitted  because  he  has  been  poor.  Rich  and 
4  Poor  alike  have  entered  Heaven,  and  many  who  have  been 


*  No.  359 


f  No  358. 


SEDUCTIONS  OF  POVERTY. 


483 


'  rich  enjoy  greater  glory  and  happiness  than  those  who 
L  have  been  poor. 

1  The  Poor  do  not  go  to  Heaven  on  account  of  their 
4  poverty,  but  on  account  of  their  life ;  for  whether  a  Man 
L  be  rich  or  poor,  he  is  what  his  life  is,  and  if  he  live  well  he 
1  is  received,  and  if  he  live  ill  he  is  rejected. 

4  Besides,  Poverty  seduces  and  withdraws  Men  from 
4  Heaven  as  much  as  Riches  ;  for  great  numbers  of  the  Poor 
4  are  discontented  with  their  lot,  are  greedy,  and  imagine 
4  wealth  to  be  a  real  blessing.  They  are  angry,  therefore, 
4  and  cherish  bitter  thoughts  concerning  the  Divine  Provi- 
4  dence.  They  also  envy  the  possessions  of  others,  and  are 
4  as  ready  as  the  wicked  among  the  rich  to  defraud,  and  to 
4  live  in  sordid  pleasures  when  they  have  the  chance.  It  is 
4  otherwise  with  the  Poor  who  are  at  peace  with  their  lot, 
4  who  are  careful  and  diligent  in  their  occupations,  who  love 
4  work  better  than  idleness,  who  act  honestly  and  live  a 
4  Christian  life.'* 

By  the  Rich  in  the  Scriptures,  Swedenborg  explains,  is 
meant  those  who  are  in  knowledges  of  truth,  and  by  Poor 
those  who  are  in  ignorance.  Now  to  be  rich  in  knowledge 
is  to  be  fortunate,  and  to  be  poor  is  to  be  miserable  ;  but  if 
knowledge  is  held  in  conceit — if  used,  not  to  live  by  and  to 
do  good  with,  but  for  intellectual  display,  then  knowledge  is 
a  Man's  condemnation,  and  viewed  from  Heaven  he  is  as 
poor  as,  from  the  infernal  side  of  his  self-love,  he  fancies 
himself  rich.  Opulence  is  only  a  real  blessing  when  held  in 
the  spirit  of  poverty,  when  the  owner  feels  that  all  that  he 
has  is  a  gift  from  the  instant  Divine  Goodness.  Whenever 
any  one  gets  proud  of  his  possessions,  let  him  be  assured  he 
is  breathing  the  atmosphere  of  Hell,  which  is  delusion  and 
falsehood.  True  as  this  is  of  mental  wealth,  it  is  equally 
true  of  pecuniary  wealth  ;  and  bearing  these  facts  in  mind, 


*  Nos.  357,  360,  364  and  365. 

2  i  2 


484 


MISERABLE  SAINTS. 


we  can  perceive  the  literal  truth  of  those  passages  in  the 
Gospels  where  the  Poor  are  assigned  pre-eminence  over  the 
Rich  ;  for,  indeed,  1  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  pass  through 
i  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the 
f  Kingdom  of  God' — that  is,  a  man  who  thinks  himself 
rich,  who  prides  himself  in  independence,  who  credits  his 
innate  prudence  with  his  cash,  or  his  innate  intellect  with 
his  science. 

Concerning  the  fate  of  those  who  have  striven  to  acquire 
a  title  to  heavenly  glory  by  sanctimony  and  asceticism, 
Swedenborg  has  some  interesting  particulars — 

'  I  have  conversed  with  Spirits,  who  while  on  Earth, 
f  renounced  the  world,  afflicted  themselves  in  various  ways, 
L  and  retired  into  solitude  for  pious  meditation,  with  the  end 
L  of  securing  preferment  in  Heaven.  Most  of  them  are  of 
4  a  sorrowful  temper,  and  quite  incapable  of  association  with 
f  Angels  whose  habit  is  gladness  and  cheerfulness.  They 
1  despise  whoever  is  not  as  gloomy  as  themselves  ;  they  care 
L  nothing  for  others  and  abhor  usefulness,  and  are  indignant 
4  when  they  do  not  receive  the  honour  they  consider  due  to 
i  their  ascetic  merits.  When  introduced  among  Angels  and 
L  behold  their  bright  and  joyful  activity,  they  are  amazed  as 
1  though  they  saw  things  incredible  ;  and  feeling  themselves 
4  out  of  place,  they  retire  and  consort  with  Souls  melancholy 
1  as  themselves/)* 

1  Such  as  have  lived  in  outward  sanctity,  assiduously 
1  frequenting  churches,  and  devoting  themselves  to  public 
i  prayer  and  mortification  with  the  hope  of  leaving  on  Earth 
'  a  saintly  memory,  do  not  go  to  Heaven,  because  they  have 
1  done  all  these  things  from  a  selfish  motive.  Some  of  these 
4  Pietists  are  so  insane  as  to  fancy  themselves  gods  and  find 
'  their  lot  in  Hell.  Others,  who  by  their  pious  arts  have 
|  cunningly  sought  to  persuade  the  common  people,  that  in 


f  Nos.  3G0,  528  and  53.5. 


SWEDENBORG'S  COMMON  SENSEe 


485 


'  them  resided  a  divine  sanctity,  are  cast  into  the  Hells  of 
'  the  Deceitful :  many  of  the  Koman  Catholic  Saints  are  of 
1  this  character.' 

A  summary  of  the  whole  argument  is  thus  pithily 
given — 

4  These  statements  are  made  in  order  to  shew,  that  the 
i  Life  which  leads  to  Heaven  is  not  a  Life  of  retirement  from 
i  the  World  hut  of  action  in  the  World.  A  Life  of  Charity, 
4  which  consists  in  acting  sincerely  and  justly  in  every  situa- 
4  tion,  engagement  and  work  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  Law, 
i  is  not  difficult ;  but  a  Life  of  Piety  alone  is  difficult ;  and 
L  such  a  Pious  Life  leads  away  from  Heaven  as  much  as  it  is 
1  vulgarly  believed  to  lead  to  Heaven.'* 

Swedenborg  is  popularly  classed  with  the  Mystics,  but 
no  reader  of  the  preceding  passages  will  ever  be  betrayed 
into  that  mistake.  Not  Franklin  himself  could  have  devised 
a  more  satisfactory  method  of  getting  to  Heaven ;  and  long 
ere  Binney  taught  London  apprentices  how  Eeligion  and 
Business  were  to  be  reconciled,  our  Author  had  settled  the 
question,  1  Is  it  possible  to  make  the  best  of  Both  Worlds?' 
Nor  is  this  spirit — this  worldly  spirit,  some  will  say — in  any 
way  peculiar  to  the  present  Chapter  :  it  transfuses  the  whole 
of  his  Writings  :  and  we  may  be  sure,  that  if  he  saw  Visions, 
he  allowed  no  one  in  ordinary  affairs  to  mistake  him  for  a 
Visionary.  In  this  respect  he  was  the  true  heir  of  his 
worthy  father,  the  Bishop — he  who  while  he  conversed  with 
Angels  and  wrought  Miracles,  could  in  one  breath,  write  to 
his  son  J esper,  arrived  from  abroad  and  out  of  work,  6  Thank 
L  God  you  are  not  married !  See  that  you  get  a  good  wife, 
4  and  something  with  her.  Pray  God  to  lead  you  in  his 
*  holy  way.'t 


*  No.  535. 


f  See  present  volume,  page  74. 


486 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL  ANTAGONISTS 


The  Hells. 

Hell  is  the  assembly  of  the  Selfish,  of  all  who  love  them- 
selves supremely,  and  gratify  their  lusts  at  any  cost  to 
others.  Hell  is  thus  the  reverse  of  Heaven  in  which  all 
prefer  the  welfare  of  others  to  their  own.  In  Hell,  Self- 
Love,  which  in  right  order  forms  the  circumference  of 
Human  Nature,  is  the  heart  and  entire  life  of  the  Devil — he 
is  nothing  but  Selfishness,  and  regards  others  as  mere 
implements  whereby  he  may  obtain  power,  or  praise,  or 
pleasure. 

The  Societies  of  Hell. 

The  law  whereby  Angels  congregate  into  Societies  pre- 
vails with  equal  force  in  Hell — 

L  Hell  is  distinguished  into  Societies  in  the  same  manner 
c  as  Heaven,  and  their  number  is  exactly  the  same.  Every 
'  Heavenly  Society  has  its  antipodes  in  an  Infernal  Society, 
1  and  this  arrangement  is  for  the  sake  of  equilibrium.'* 

This  appalling  statement  Swedenborg  sustains  with  the 
following  reasons — 

'  Every  Good  has  an  opposite  Evil  and  every  Truth  an 
'  opposite  Lie :  neither  is  anything  without  relation  to  its 
'  opposite,  for  by  opposites  quality  and  intensity  are  revealed, 
'  and  all  perception  and  sensation  excited.  The  Lord  there- 
1  fore  continually  provides,  that  every  Heavenly  Society 
'  should  have  an  opposite  in  Hell,  and  that  thus  an 
1  equilibrium  should  be  maintained  between  them.'t 

All  this  may  be  true  :  we  certainly  could  never  know  the 
sweetness  and  peace  of  righteousness  save  through  the 
bitterness  and  torment  of  sin,  the  joy  of  light  save  through 


*  No.  5-41. 


t  No.  541. 


THE  ORDER  OF  THE  HELLS. 


487 


the  horror  of  darkness,  the  value  of  health  save  through  the 
cost  of  sickness,  the  charm  of  beauty  save  through  the  offence 
of  ugliness :  all  sensation  and  perception  are  indeed  excited 
through  acquaintance  with  opposites  ;  it  seems  impossible  to 
conceive  how  we  could  have  any  sense  of  pleasure  except 
through  experience  of  pain :  yet  these  admissions  involve 
just  such  startling  consequences  as  Swedenborg  states,  and 
which,  even  he,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  lacked  courage 
to  face,  and  in  the  Divine  defence,  anxiously  excused  and 
disowned. 

4  As  there  are  Three  Heavens  there  are  Three  Hells. 
4  The  Deepest  Hell  is  opposed  to  the  Inmost  Heaven,  the 
4  Middle  Hell  to  the  Middle  Heaven,  and  the  Highest  Hell 
4  to  the  Lowest  Heaven. 

4  The  Infernal  Societies  are  distinguished  according  to 
4  the  Evils  which  are  opposed  to  the  Virtues.  Every  Evil 
4  includes -infinite  varieties  like  every  Good :  every  Evil  con- 
( tains  so  many  specific  differences,  and  every  specific  differ- 
4  ence  so  many  particulars,  that  a  volume  would  not  suffice 
4  to  enumerate  them  all. 

*  The  Hells  are  arranged  so  distinctly  according  to  these 
4  differences,  that  nothing  more  orderly  and  distinct  can  be 
4  conceived.  From  this  also  it  is  plain,  that  the  Hells  are 
4  innumerable,  and  that  they  are  near  or  remote  from  each 
4  other  according  to  general,  specific,  and  particular  differ- 
4  ences.  There  are  Hells  beneath  Hells  ;  some  communicating 
4  by  passages  and  more  by  exhalations  ;  but  all  communica- 
4  tions  are  regulated  by  the  affinities  between  the  several 
4  kinds  of  Evil. 

4  That  the  number  of  Hells  is  very  great  has  been  proved 
4  to  me  by  the  consideration,  that  there  are  Hells  under 
4  every  mountain,  hill  and  rock,  and  under  every  plain  and 
4  valley  in  the  Spiritual  World ;  and  they  extend  beneath 
4  them  in  length,  breadth  and  depth.  In  a  word,  the  whole 
4  of  Heaven  and  the  whole  of  the  World  of  Spirits  are,  as  it 


488 


PHYSIOGNOMY  OF  DEVILS. 


4  were,  excavated,  and  a  continuous  Hell  stretches  beneath 
'them.'* 

The  Ugliness  of  Devils. 

As  Angels  are  beautiful  in  the  degree  of  their  goodness, 
Devils  are  ugly  in  the  degree  of  their  badness.  Every 
Devil  is  the  effigy  of  his  peculiar  selfishness,  and  displays 
his  character  in  his  countenance,  body,  speech  and  gestures. 

4  Devils  are  forms  of  contempt  of  others,  of  menace 
4  against  those  who  do  not  pay  them  respect,  of  hatred  and 
4  revenge  ;  and  in  their  forms,  outrage  and  cruelty  are  mani- 
4  fest ;  but  when  honour  and  homage  are  rendered  to  them, 
4  their  faces  pucker  with  delight. 

4  It  is  impossible  to  give  in  brief  a  description  of  the 
4  forms  of  Devils.  No  two  are  alike,  although  there  is  a 
4  family  resemblance  in  those,  who  are  in  the  same  kind  of 
4  evil,  and  therefore  in  the  same  Society. 

4  In  general  their  faces  are  direful  and  corpse-like  ;  some 
4  are  black,  others  fiery  like  little  torches,  others  studded 
4  with  pimples,  warts  and  ulcers  ;  frequently  no  face  appears, 
1  but  instead  something  hairy  and  bony,  and  sometimes 
4  nothing  but  grates  of  teeth.  Their  bodies  are  monstrous. 
4  Their  speech  is  the  speech  of  anger,  malice  and  deceit. *f 

As  everyone  in  the  Spiritual  World  is  clothed  according 
to  his  intelligence,  the  insanity  of  each  Devil  is  represented 
in  garments,  ragged  and  filthy  ;  nor  can  a  Devil  dress  other- 
wise, nor  indeed  feel  comfortable  except  in  such  raiment  as 
matches  his  character-! 

As  each  Heavenly  Society  is  in  the  Human  Form  and 
Heaven  as  a  whole  is  a  Grand  Man,  so  Hell  as  a  whole  is 
one  Grand  Monster,  and  all  its  Societies  so  many  lesser 
Monsters — 

4  It  has  not  been  granted  me,7  says  Swedenborg,  4  to  see 


*  Nob.  542  and  668. 


f  Ho.  553. 


|  No.  182. 


INFERNAL  SCENERY. 


489 


4  the  form  of  the  Universal  Hell,  but  the  specific  forms  of 
4  Infernal  Societies  have  frequently  been  revealed  to  me : 
4  for  at  their  apertures  or  gates  in  the  World  of  Spirits 
4  there  usually  sits  a  monster,  which  represents  the  common 
4  form  of  the  Devils  who  belong  thereto.'* 

The  Scenery  of  the  Hells. 

It  was  observed  that  in  Heaven  what  an  Angel  is,  he 
sees  ;  that  his  house  and  scenery  correspond  with  his  mental 
condition,  that  the  invisible  order  and  loveliness  within  are 
repeated  in  visible  order  and  loveliness  without.  By  the 
operation  of  the  same  law,f  the  scenery  of  the  Hells  is  a 
creation  of  the  Minds  of  the  Devils — what  a  Devil  is,  he 
sees. 

4 1  have  been  permitted  to  look  into  the  Hells,  and  to  see 
4  what  kind  of  places  they  are. 

4  Some  appear  like  holes  in  the  rocks ;  others  like  the 

*  No.  553. 

f  Carlyle  recognizes  the  same  law  at  work  on  Earth  :  he  writes — 
'  The  Spiritual  is  the  parent  and  first  cause  of  the  Practical.  The  Spiritual 
1  everywhere  originates  the  Practical,  models  it,  makes  it ;  so  that  the  saddest 
1  external  condition  of  affairs  among  men  is  but  evidence  of  a  still  sadder 
'  internal  one.  For  as  thought  is  the  life-fountain  and  motive-soul  of  action, 
4  so,  in  all  regions  of  this  human  world,  whatever  outward  thing  offers  itself 
'  to  the  eye,  is  merely  the  body  or  garment  of  a  thing  which  already  existed 
'  invisibly  within,  which,  striving  to  give  itself  expression,  has  found,  in  the 
'  given  circumstances,  that  it  could  and  would  express  itself— so.  This  is 
'  everywhere  true  ;  and  in  these  times  when  men's  attention  is  directed  out- 
'  ward  rather,  this  deserves  far  more  attention  than  it  will  receive.' — 'Latter- 
'  Day  Pamphlets — Jesuitism,'  page  251. 

The  difference  between  the  action  of  the  Law  of  Correspondence  in  the 
Spiritual  and  in  the  Material  Worlds  is  merely  a  difference  of  speed.  In  the 
Spiritual  World,  Mind  governs  Circumstance  instantaneously— in  the  Material 
World,  gradually.  In  the  slowness  with  which  Circumstance  here  yields  to 
Mind  lies  our  present  opportunity  of  salvation,  inasmuch  as  Truths  at  variance 
with  our  affections  can  be  applied  for  the  cure  of  their  maladies.  In  the 
Spiritual  World,  on  the  other  hand,  the  influence  of  Mind  is  so  omnipotent 
that  nothing  out  of  harmony  with  its  inclinations  can  touch  or  approach  it. 
Herein  we  discern  the  reason  why  correction  and  amendment  become  impos- 
sible after  death. 


490 


INFERNAL  SCENERY. 


4  coverts  of  wild  beasts  in  the  woods  ;  and  others  like  vaulted 
4  caverns  and  hidden  chambers,  such  as  are  seen  in  mines. 

4  In  some  Hells  there  appear,  as  it  were,  the  ruins  of 
4  houses  and  cities  after  a  general  conflagration,  in  which 
4  Infernal  Spirits  lurk.  In  the  milder  Hells  there  appear,  as 
4  it  were,  rude  cottages,  which  in  some  cases  form  lanes  and 
4  streets.  Within  the  houses  Infernal  Spirits  engage  in 
4  perpetual  brawls,  in  blows  and  butchery,  while  the  streets 
4  are  infested  with  robbers.  In  some  Hells  there  are  dis- 
4  gusting  brothels,  strewn  and  smeared  with  every  kind  of 
4  filth.  There  are  likewise  thick  forests  in  which  Evil  Spirits 
4  prowl  like  beasts  of  prey,  and  hide  themselves  in  under- 
4  ground  dens  when  pursued  by  others  :  also  deserts  where 
4  all  is  sterile  and  sandy,  with  here  and  there  shaggy  rocks 
4  containing  caves,  and  in  other  places,  huts.'* 

Every  Devil  and  Satan  procures  a  retreat  in  agreement 
with  his  character — 

4  Those  who  love  falsehood  and  hate  truth  seek  darkm  >> 
4  in  clefts  of  rocks  :  it  is  delightful  to  them  to  inhabit  such 
4  holes,  and  undelightful  to  dwell  in  the  open  fields.  Those 
4  whose  joy  is  intrigue  and  conspiracy  resort  to  subterranean 
4  rooms,  where  it  is  so  dark  that  they  cannot  see  one  another, 
4  and  there  whisper  in  each  other's  ears  in  corners.  Those 
4  who  study  the  sciences  with  no  other  end  than  the  repu- 
4  tation  of  learning,  and  who  do  not  cultivate  the  rational 
4  faculties  by  means  of  them,  but  merely  take  a  vain  delight 
4  in  a  prodigious  memory,  frequent  sandy  places  in  preference 
4  to  fields  and  gardens.  Theologians  who  do  not  reduce 
4  precept  to  practice  choose  rocky  spots  and  lodge  amid 
4  heaps  of  stones,  shunning  cultivated  regions.  Those  who 
4  ascribe  the  Universe  to  Nature,  and  discern  no  Providence 
4  beyond  the  Frudence  wherewith  they  have  acquired  money 
4  and  fame,  practise  Magic,  and  in  the  art  find  the  pleasure 


*  No.  586. 


INFERNAL  HORRORS. 


491 


4  of  their  existence.  Those  who  apply  divine  truths  to 
4  selfish  ends,  and  thus  falsify  them,  love  urinous  places  and 
4  scents.  Those  who  are  sordidly  avaricious  dwell  in  cellars 
4  and  luxuriate  in  the  filth  of  swine,  and  such  nidorous 
4  odours  as  arise  from  undigested  food  in  the  stomach. 
4  Those  who  place  the  highest  good  of  life  in  the  pleasures 
4  of  the  table  wallow  in  dunghills  and  privies,  and  abhor 
4  clean  places.  Those  who  delight  in  adulteries  dwell  in 
4  mean  and  squalid  brothels,  and  avoid  chaste  houses,  and 
4  faint  away  if  they  come  near  them.  The  revengeful,  who 
4  have  contracted  a  savage  and  cruel  nature  from  their  lust 
4  of  vengeance,  love  to  dwell  amongst  graves  and  corpses : 
4  and  so  on  in  other  instances.'* 

Self-Love,  the  Cause  of  these  Horrors, 

Some  of  these  details  are  disgusting,  and  worse  might 
be  adduced,  but  as  such  are  the  issues  of  every  Heart  in 
which  Self-Love  bears  sway,  it  would  be  pernicious  delicacy 
to  blink  them.    At  first  they  surprised  Swedenborg — 

4  I  wondered  how  Self-Love  and  Love  of  the  World 
4  should  be  so  diabolical,  and  that  those  who  are  in  such 
4  Loves  should  be  such  monsters,  since  Self-Love  is  so  little 
4  thought  of  on  Earth,  where  Pride,  which  is  the  outward 
4  sign  of  an  inflated  Mind,  is  alone  considered  Self-Love, 
4  because  visibly  offensive.  Self-Love,  when  not  so  puffed 
4  up,  is  thought  to  be  the  fire  of  life  by  which  Man  is  incited 
4  to  aspire  to  offices  and  perform  uses  ;  and  it  is  contended, 
4  that  he  would  grow  torpid  unless  roused  by  the  desire  for 
4  power  and  glory .f  The  World  demands,  44  Who  ever  did 
4  44  any  worthy,  useful,  or  distinguished  action  except  for  the 
4  44  sake  of  admiration  ?  and  what  is  this  but  the  Love  of 


*  No.  488. 

f  E.  G. — Mr.  Disraeli,  Champion  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  a  speech 
at  Buckingham,  17th  September,  1862,  asserted,  that  'The  principle  of  eniu- 
;  lation  is  the  origin  and  foundation  of  everything  that  is  excellent  in  Man.' 


492 


DEVILS  AS  SEEN  BY  ANGELS. 


< "  Self?"  Thus  it  is  not  known  on  Earth  that  Self-Love 
'  is  the  Love  which  prevails  in  Hell,  and  constitutes  Hell  in 
1  Man,  and  is  the  source  of  every  Evil  and  every  Lie.'* 

Hell  not  Horrible  to  Devils, 

Horrible  as  are  Swedenborg\s  pictures  of  the  Hells,  he 
presents  them  under  a  most  important  qualification— they 
are  sketched  from  a  heavenly,  not  an  infernal  aspeef,  in  the 
Light  of  Heaven,  not  in  the  Light  of  Hell.  Unless  this  be 
borne  in  mind  a  very  serious  misconception  will  be  formed 
of  his  meaning.  If  Hell  is  horrible  to  the  Angels,  he  tells 
us,  Heaven  is  intolerable  to  the  Devils  ;  what  one  Kingdom 
prefers  the  other  abhors,  and  vice  versa  :  in  every  sense 
they  are  antipodes,  as  he  illustrates  by  this  bit  of  visual 
experience — 

1  In  looking  out  of  Heaven  upon  Hell  nought  is  seen 
*  but  the  hinder  parts  of  the  heads  and  backs  of  its  inhabit- 
1  ants  ;  indeed  they  appear  as  if  inverted,  like  antipodes, 
1  with  their  feet  upwards  and  their  heads  downwards, 
4  although  they  walk  upright  and  turn  their  faces  in  every 
1  direction.  I  have  myself  been  an  eye-witness  of  these 
'  extraordinary  phenomena.' f 

In  further  illustration  of  the  same  Law  of  Appearance 
we  are  informed,  that  Devils  are  seen  by  Angels  1  as  wild 
1  beasts  of  every  kind,  as  tigers,  leopards,  wolves,  foxes, 
L  dogs,  crocodiles,  serpents,'  and  that  when  any  of  us  on 
Earth,  who  may  be  internally  devilish,  are  discerned  by 
Angels  it  is  in  such  bestial  guise  as  corresponds  to  our 
specific  diabolism  jj  but  be  it  most  carefully  noted — 

L  Whatever  may  be  the  appearance  of  Infernal  Spirits  to 
1  Angels,  amongst  themselves  they  are  Men — and  according  to 
1  their  phantasies  not  without  beauty.§    This  is  of  the  Lord's 


■  No.  555.  t  lVera  Christiana  liclif/io,'  No.  613. 

t  ;  Wra  Christiana  Rdiyio,'  NV.  312.       \  'Arcana  CosUxtia,1  No.  4,533. 


DARKNESS  OF  HELL. 


493 


1  mercy  in  order  that  they  may  not  be  as  loathsome  to  each 
4  other  as  they  are  to  the  Angels ;  but  the  merciful  appear- 
4  ance  is  an  illusion,  for  as  soon  as  a  ray  of  the  Light  of 
4  Heaven  is  let  into  any  Hell,  the  monstrous  shapes  of  its 
4  inhabitants  are  revealed,  because  in  the  Light  of  Heaven 
4  everything  appears  as  it  really  is.  Hence  Infernal  Spirits 
4  shun  the  Light  of  Heaven  as  a  pestilence,  and  seek  their 
4  own  Light,  which  is  as  that  of  Charcoal  and,  in  some  cases, 
4  of  Sulphur.'* 

The  Darkness  of  Hell. 

Hell  in  the  Scriptures  and  in  the  common  opinion  of 
Mankind  is  held  to  be  a  realm  of  darkness  ;  and  so  indeed  it 
is  to  the  Angels,  but  to  the  Devils  its  gloom  is  altogether 
congenial.  Devils,  we  need  hardly  iterate,  are  forms  of 
Selfishness,  and  it  is  the  lot  of  Selfishness  to  be  stupid,  to 
believe  in  means  as  ends,  to  live  in  lies ;  for  as  Carlyle 
observes,  4  Stupidity  Intellectual  always  means  Stupidity 
4  Moral  as  you  will,  with  surprise  or  not,  discover  if  you 
4  look.'f  In  Hell,  mental  darkness  is  repeated  in  outer 
darkness  ;  and  the  density  of  the  darkness  we  may  imagine 
if  we  reflect,  that  every  Truth  out  of  harmony  with  Selfish- 
ness is  rejected  by  Hell. 

There  are  no  phenomena  in  the  Spiritual  IVorld  of  which 
we  have  not  the  hints,  having  the  germs,  on  Earth  ;  and  in 
the  lunacy  of  Avarice,  a  common  form  of  Selfishness,  we 
may  perceive  a  condition  which  must  terminate  in  the  black- 
ness of  the  pit.  The  Avaricious  love  money  for  the  sake  of 
money,  pinch  and  screw  and  thieve  to  acquire  gain,  for  what 
they  know  not !  Tantalus  up  to  his  lips  in  the  lake  from 
which  he  could  never  drink,  Sisyphus  eternally  rolling  his 


*  Nos.  131,  553,  571,  585;  '  Vera  Christiana  Peligio,'  No.  281;  1  Arcana 
Cazlestia;  Nos.  3,641,  4,674,  4,839,  5,057-58,  6,626,  and  many  other  places. 

+  ' Latter- Day  Pamphlets — Model  Prisons.' 


494 


DARKNESS  OF  HELL. 


stone  to  the  mountain  top,  the  Danaides  for  ever  pumping 
water  into  their  sieves,  are  emblems  of  Avarice.  Now  if 
Truth  be  what  isy  if  to  know  Truth  be  to  know  what  if 
to  be  wise  and  happy  is  to  be  brought  into  subjection  to  the 
Truth,  and  therefore  into  right  relation  and  knowledge  of 
what  manifestly  the  Avaricious  dwell  in  an  atmosphere 
of  lies,  for  they  think  what  is  not,  and  struggle  after  that 
which  can  never  be  attained  :  their  fret  and  fume  is  in  very 
deed  the  inspiration  of  that  Spirit  1  who  was  a  liar  from  the 
c  beginning and  at  death  they  cannot  but  find  their  eternal 
home  in  a  place  of  darkness. 

What  is  the  case  with  Avarice  is  true  of  all  other  forms 
of  Selfishness — of  Pride,  of  Vanity,  of  Hatred,  of  Lust. 
The  thoughts  of  Self-Love  are  lies.  Shew  Swedeuborg 
a  Selfish  Man,  and  he  will  shew  you  one  who  moves  in 
delusion. 

The  Fire  of  Hell 

As  the  varied  heat  and  light  of  the  Heavens  equal  and 
express  the  varied  love  and  wisdom  of  the  Angels,  so  the 
fire  and  flame  of  the  Hells  equal  and  express  the  self-love 
and  folly  of  the  Devils. 

Hell-fire  is  an  expression  which,  however  terrible  to  us, 
bears  as  little  dismay  to  a  Devil  as  the  darkness  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking  :  both  originate  in  the  Infernal  Will, 
and  until  the  Devil  abhors  himself  as  the  cause,  he  can 
never  feel  offence  with  the  effects — his  circumstances,  his 
surroundings.  Hell-fire,  or  Hell-heat,  is  thus  only  an  outer 
sign  and  a  secondary  word  for  Self-Love,  even  as  is  darkness 
for  selfish  stupidity. 

The  heat  of  Hell,  like  the  heat  of  Heaven,  is  derived 
from  the  Lord  as  the  Sun  of  the  Universe.  The  Divine 
Efflux  is  changed  to  infernal  heat  in  those  who  receive  it, 
just  as  the  rays  of  the  Sun  of  Nature  are  transmuted  by 
nightshade  into  poison,  and  by  a  carcase  into  a  stench.  The 


HELL  FIRE. 


495 


Angel  and  the  Devil  alike  owe  their  life  to  the  Lord,  but  the 
one  receives  and  utters  Him  in  good-will  and  wisdom,  and 
the  other  in  self-will  and  cunning.* 

1  When  the  Hells  are  opened  to  the  Angels,  there  is  seen 
'  as  it  were  a  volume  of  fire  and  smoke  like  that  which  arises 
1  from  burning  houses.  Such  fire  exists  in  all  in  whom  the 
4  Loves  of  Self  and  the  World  predominate.'! 

Here  Swedenborg  interposes  with  the  needful  caution — 
1  It  is  to  be  observed  that  the  residents  in  Hell  do  not 
1  burn  in  the  fire  which  the  Angels  see  :  the  fire  is  merely 
4  an  appearance  from  the  Angels'  point  of  sight.  The 
1  Devils  themselves  have  no  sense  of  burning,  but  expe- 
4  rience  a  climate  similar  to  what  they  were  accustomed  on 
1  Earth." t 

In  this  way  our  Author  nullifies  the  common  notion  about 
the  pains  of  Hell,  in  so  far  as  it  is  fancied  that  Devils  are 
kept  in  Hell  as  in  a  prison  against  their  will.  He  freely 
allows  that  Hell  is  a  horrible  place,  but  asserts  that  its 
horrors  are  the  pleasures  of  its  inhabitants,  and  that  their 
chief  aversion  and  severest  punishment  consist  in  the 
approach  and  influence  of  the  Angels — 

1  "Whenever  the  heat  of  Heaven  flows  into  Hell,  the 
1  Infernals  shiver  as  with  ague,  and  are  inwardly  tormented, 
i  for  their  life  is  thereby  quenched,  and  they  are  plunged  in 
c  total  darkness.  Heavenly  heat  is  never  thus  applied  to 
c  Hell  except  in  extreme  cases,  when  it  is  necessary  to  quell 
1  outrageous  riots.' § 

Whilst  the  Selfish  find  their  delight  in  gloom  and  filth, 
they  are  miserable  with  all  the  misery  of  Selfishness — 

1  Hell-fire  besides  standing  as  a  synonym  for  Self-Love 
1  is  also  used  to  describe  the  spite  and  anguish  which  are  the 
'  fruits  of  Self-Love.  The  Selfish  desire  to  injure  all  who  do 
1  not  serve  and  worship  them,  and  in  proportion  to  their 


*  No.  569. 


t  No.  571. 


i  No.  571. 


\  No.  572. 


496 


HELL  FIRE. 


1  disappointment  is  their  rage  for  vengeance.  Hence  every 
1  Infernal  Spirit  cherishes  hatred  against  every  other,  and 
1  afflicts  his  acquaintance  unmercifully  as  far  as  he  has 
1  power. 

4  When  a  Spirit  arrived  from  Earth  directs  his  course  of 
4  his  own  accord  to  his  own  Hell  and  enters,  he  is  at  first 
1  received  in  a  kindly  manner,  and  is  led  to  believe,  that  he 
1  is  among  friends  :  but  this  only  lasts  for  a  few  hours  during 
f  which  his  comrades  explore  his  cunning  and  measure  his 
1  strength  ;  which  ascertained,  they  begin  to  infest  and  tor- 
?  ment  him,  and  then  to  reduce  him  to  slavery  by  cruel 
4  punishments.  Nevertheless  there  arise  for  him  chances 
1  of  emancipation ;  for  as  every  one  in  Hell  desires  to  be 
L  greatest,  there  are  frequent  insurrections  in  which  those 
c  who  are  in  slavery  are  set  free  in  order  that  they  may 
f  assist  some  new  Devil  to  obtain  dominion,  who  in  turn 
f  subjects  those  who  resisted  him  to  bondage.  Such  altcrna- 
1  tions  go  on  perpetually  in  Hell ;  and  such  rivalry  and 
1  tyranny  are  also  designated  Hell-fire.'* 

With  these  facts  in  mind,  how  our  Lord's  words  con- 
cerning '  the  worm  which  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  which  is 
i  not  quenched,'  are  illustrated  and  vivified  ! 

Gnashing  of  Teeth. 

Swedcnborg  explains  the  gnashing  of  teeth  in  Hell  as 
4  the  continual  dispute  and  combat  of  falses  conjoined  with 
*  contempt,  enmity,  mockery,  ridicule  and  blasphemy. 
i  Every  one  fights  in  favour  of  his  own  illusion  and  calls  it 
J  Truth  ;  and  when  these  disputes  are  heard  out  of  the  lb  ZZr, 
1  they  sound  like  gnashing  of  teeth  ;  and  indeed  are  actually 
1  turned  to  gnashing  of  teeth  whenever  the  light  of  Heaven 
4  is  permitted  to  break  into  the  infernal  regions.' f 


*  N<M.  f)73-74. 


f  No.  575. 


DEVILS  AND  SATANS. 


497 


There  is  no  King  Satan. 

The  reader  will  not  have  forgotten  Swedenborg's  asser- 
tion, that  there  is  no  Angel  in  Heaven,  nor  any  Devil  in 
Hell,  who  ha3  not  been  born  on  Earth,  and  in  agreement 
with  this  opinion  he  teaches,  that  there  is  no  single  Devil  to 
whom  the  Hells  are  subject — 

'  It  has  been  hitherto  supposed  in  the  World,  that  there 
1  is  some  one  Devil  who  rules  over  the  Hells,  that  he  was 
4  created  an  Angel  of  Light,  and  that  he  was  cast  down  with 
4  his  crew  into  Hell  because  he  rebelled  against  God ;  and 
4  this  belief  has  become  prevalent,  because  certain  passages 
4  of  the  Word  which  speak  of  the  Devil  and  Satan,  and  also 
*  of  Lucifer,  have  been  understood  according  to  the  sense 
4  of  the  letter. 

1  The  Devil  and  Satan  however  mean  Hell  considered 
1  under  different  aspects.  The  Devil  means  the  inmost  Hell 
4  inhabited  by  the  very  worst  Spirits,  called  Evil  Genii. 
4  Satan  denotes  the  outer  Hell,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
4  are  not  so  malignant,  and  are  called  Evil  Spirits.  Lucifer 
4  denotes  those  who  are  of  Babel  or  Babylon,  and  who  pre- 
4  tend  to  dominion  even  in  Heaven.'* 

We  are  therefore  to  regard  the  Devil  and  Satan  as 
equivalents  for  Hell,  just  as  in  politics  we  talk  of  France 
and  Turkey  as  though  they  were  individuals,  meaning  all  the 
while  the  people  of  France  and  Turkey.  Considering  Hell 
as  a  grand  Monster,  we  should  define  the  Devil  as  its  Will 
and  Satan  as  its  LTnderstanding. 

1  Infernals  are  called  Satans  who  have  lived  in  Falses  and 
4  consequent  Evils,  and  Devils  who  have  lived  in  Evils  and 
4  consequent  Falses.  In  heavenly  light,  Satans  appear  pale 
4  and  livid  like  corpses,  and  in  some  cases,  black  like  niuni- 
4  mies,  and  Devils  of  a  fiery  dusky  complexion,  and  in  some 
4  cases,  intensely  black  like  soot.'t 

*  So.  544.  f  'Vera  Christiana  Beliqio.'  No.  281. 

2  K 


498 


HELL  GOVERNED  BY  HEAVEN. 


The  Government  of  Hell. 

The  Lord  alone,  and  no  Devil,  is  the  king  of  Hell ;  and 
the  name  of  God  is  denied  and  abhorred  throughout  the 
infernal  regions — for  all  in  whom  Self-Love  rules  are 
Atheists*  however  melodious  may  be  their  piety — yet  over 
every  Devil  the  Divine  Hand  is  stretched  in  government 
and  blessing,  so  that  not  the  least  effort  is  made  by  any 
Fiend  which  the  Lord  does  not  turn  to  his  eternal  service.f 

As  we  have  already  noted,  the  Lord  governs  the  Hells 
mediately  by  the  Heavens.  4  Hell  is  kept  in  order  and 
4  connection  by  oppositions  against  Heaven.' |  Every  Infernal 
Society  has  an  antagonist  and  is  balanced  by  a  Heavenly 
Society ;  4  and  in  a  more  particular  sense  the  Societies  of 
(  Hell  are  ruled  Jby  Angels,  who  are  appointed  to  inspect 
4  them,  to  restrain  the  insanities  and  disturbances  with  which 
4  they  abound,  and  to  prevent  their  members  from  torment- 
4  ing  each  other  beyond  prescribed  limits. §  Sometimes  also 
4  Angels  are  sent  to  Hells  to  moderate  these  insanities  and 
4  disturbances  by  their  presence.' ||  Of  course  such  business 
is  assigned  to  Angels  who  have  a  taste  for  it. 

4  Government  in  Hell  is  the  opposite  of  government  in 
4  Heaven,  which  is  that  of  Mutual  Love.  Infernal  govern- 
4  ment  springs  from  Self-Love,  for  every  one  in  Hell  desires 
4  to  rule  over  others  and  to  be  greatest.  Devils  hate  those 
4  who  not  favour  them,  and  pursue  them  with  vengeance 
4  and  cruelty ;  and  this  results  from  the  very  nature  of 
4  Self-Love. 

4  The  most  malignant  Spirits,  who  excel  in  cunning  and 
4  are  able  by  the  terror  they  inspire  to  enforce  obedience,  are 


*  '  All  who  live  in  evil  interiorly  deny  a  Divine  Being,  how  much  soever 
'  they  may  imagine  while  in  externals,  that  they  acknowledge  Him.'  Nos. 

506,  562,  et  passim. 

t  '  Arcana  Ccelestia?  No.  2,706.         i  '  Apocahjpsis  RevelataJ  No.  62. 
§  No.  391.  ||  No.  543. 


HELL  RULED  BY  FEAR. 


499 


4  set  over  their  companions  as  Governors,  by  whom  they  are 
4  worshipped  as  gods.  As  every  Devil  has  the  same  lust  of 
4  dominion  in  his  heart,  he  burns  with  hatred  against  his 
4  president-god,  who  in  return  regards  his  subjects  as  the 
4  vilest  slaves,  although  he  is  courteous  towards  them  so  long 
4  as  they  adore  him ;  for  the  Love  of  Self  is  like  that  which 
4  prevails,  among  robbers,  who  show  every  sign  of  mutual 
*  affection  whilst  perpetrating  their  villanies,  but  are  after- 
4  wards  ready  to  murder  one  another  for  a  larger  share  of 
4  the  booty.  It  is  in  consequence  of  the  nature  of  this  Love, 
4  that  those  who  are  given  up  to  its  lusts,  appear  in  Hell  at 
4  a  distance  like  wild  beasts,  some  like  foxes  and  leopards, 
4  some  like  wolves  and  tigers,  and  some  like  crocodiles  and 
4  venemous  serpents,  and  that  they  dwell  in  stony  and  sandy 
4  deserts  interspersed  with  marshes  full  of  croaking  frogs 
4  whilst  over  head  dismal  birds  on  the  wing  screech  harshly. 
4  These  are  the  ochim,  tziim  and  jiim  mentioned  in  the  pro- 
4  phecies  of  the  Old  Testament  where  the  love  of  dominion 
4  from  the  Love  of  Self  is  spoken  of.* 
The  whip  is  the  sceptre  of  Hell — 

4  In  general  all  the  inhabitants  of  Hell  are  ruled  by  fears. 
4  Some  are  ruled  by  fears  contracted  on  Earth,  but  as  these 
4  lose  their  force  by  degrees,  the  dread  of  punishment  is  added, 
4  and  this  dread  is  the  chief  means  of  deterring  them  from 
4  mischief.  The  punishments  of  Hell  are  various,  and  are 
4  gentle  or  severe  according  to  the  character  of  the  lusts  which 
4  require  restraint. 

4  It  is  worth  repeating,  that  the  fear  of  punishment  is  the 
4  only  means  of  restraining  the  violence  and  fury  of  the 
4  Infernals.    There  is  no  other. 'f 


*  No.  543,  and  'Vera  Christiana  Religio,1  No.  45. 


f  Nos.  509  and  543. 

2  k  2 


500 


KO  IDLE  DEVILS. 


Hell)  a  Workhouse. 

Hell  is  not  a  world  of  mere  idleness  and  rapine — 

1  Its  caverns  are  eternal  workhouses.  I  have  been 
4  permitted  to  enter  some  of  them  in  order  that  I  might 
4  describe  them.  All  who  are  there  confined  appeared  like 
4  beggars  and  none  of  them  had  any  memory  of  their  con- 
4  dition  on  Earth.  The  Angel  who  attended  me  pointed 
4  out  one  as  a  servant,  another  as  a  soldier,  another  as  a 
4  priest,  another  as  a  statesman,  and  another  as  a  person  of 
1  great  wealth ;  yet  none  of  them  knew  otherwise  than  that 
4  they  had  always  lived  as  comrades  in  their  present  servi- 
1  tude.  The  reason  of  this  was,  that  although  they  had 
1  differed  in  externals  on  Earth,  they  had  all  the  while  been 
k  inwardly  united  by  a  common  character,  and  death  simply 
k  revealed  the  hidden  reality.'* 

As  in  a  well-contrived  convict  prison,  every  Devil  is 
compelled  to  earn  his  living.  Writing  of  some  who  by  the 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone  had  reduced  them- 
selves to  an  infernal  state,  he  gives  us  this  glimpse  into  the 
economy  of  a  Hell — 

1  When  they  arrive  at  their  cavern  in  Hell  from  the 
1  World  of  Spirits,  they  enter,  and  the  door  is  shut  after 
1  them.  Then  the  governor  of  the  cavern  comes  and  says  to 
1  them,  "  You  cannot  go  out  of  this  place  any  more  :  behold 
4  u  your  companions ;  they  all  work  hard,  and  in  proportion 
1  k*  to  their  work  they  receive  food  from  Heaven.  I  tell  you 
4  M  this  that  you  may  not  plead  ignorance."  Their  com- 
4  panions  then  also  say  to  them,  u  Our  governor  knows  for 
4  kk  what  work  every  one  is  best  fitted,  and  enjoins  it  daily, 
1  u  and  on  the  day  that  we  finish  what  he  gives  us  to  do,  we 
4  u  receive  food  ;  but  if  we  do  not  finish  it  we  receive  neither 
4  M  food  nor  clothes  ;  and  if  any  one  does  mischief  to  another, 


*  •  Vtra  Christiana  Juh'</i<>:    S>>>.  2^1,  570  and  SSI. 


HEAVEN  POISED  AGAINST  HELL. 


501 


4 "  he  is  thrown  into  a  corner  of  the  cavern  upon  a  bed 
4  "  of  cursed  dust,  where  he  is  miserably  tormented,  until  the 
4 "  governor  observes  in  him  some  sign  of  penitence,  and 
* "  then  he  is  taken  off,  and  ordered  again  to  his  work.1' 
4  The  new  comer  is  also  informed  that  every  one  is  at  liberty 
4  to  walk,  to  converse,  and  afterwards  to  sleep,  when  he  has 
4  done  his  work.  He  is  then  led  into  an  inner  part  of  the 
4  cavern  where  there  are  harlots,  and  he  is  permitted  to 
4  select  one  for  himself,  and  call  her  his  woman ;  but  he  is 
4  forbidden  under  severe  penalties  to  indulge  in  promiscuous 
4  connections.'* 

It  would  be  easy  to  amplify  these  notes  on  infernal  life 
from  Swedenborg's  manifold  experience,  but  the  reader 
has  probably  had  enough. 

The  Equilibrium  between  Heaven  and  Hell. 

Among  Swedenborg's  assertions  there  is,  perhaps,  none 
more  startling  than  that  which  affirms  an  equilibrium 
between  Heaven  and  Hell,  so  that  every  Society  in  the  one 
has  an  antagonist  in  the  other. 

4  All  the  Societies  of  Heaven  are  arranged  most  distinctly 
4  according  to  the  genera  and  species  of  Goods,  and  all  the 
4  Societies  of  Hell  according  to  the  genera  and  species  of 
4  Evils,  and  beneath  every  Society  of  Heaven  there  is  a 
4  corresponding  Society  of  Hell,  which  is  its  opposite  ;  and 
4  from  their  opposition  results  equilibrium. 

4  The  equilibrium  between  the  Heavens  and  the  Hells  is 
4  affected  by  the  number  of  Spirits  who  enter  them,  which 
4  amounts  to  many  thousands  a  day ;  but  to  know  and 
4  perceive  in  which  way  the  balance  inclines,  and  to  regulate 
4  and  equalize  it  with  perfect  exactness,  is  not  in  the  power 
4  of  any  Angel,  but  of  the  Lord  alone.  The  Divine,  which 
4  proceeds  from  the  Lord,  is  omnipresent,  and  observes  in 


*  ' Apocalypsk  Bevdata,'  No.  153. 


502 


DOES  EQUILIBRIUM  EXIST"? 


1  every  direction,  if  there  be  the  slightest  preponderance,  and 
4  redresses  it :  whereas  an  Angel  only  knows  what  is  near 
'  him,  and  has  no  perception  in  himself  of  what  is  panning 
4  even  in  his  own  Society/* 

To  the  Equilibrium  thus  maintained,  he  ascribes  the 
Free- Will  of  mankind — 

1  Between  Heaven  and  Hell  is  a  great  interstice,  and  in 
1  this  interstice  is  the  World  of  Spirits,  into  which  a  most 
*  copious  exhalation  of  Evil  arises  out  of  Hell,  and  as  copious 
'  an  influx  of  Good  descends  from  Heaven.  Every  Man  as  to 
'  his  Spirit  is  in  the  midst  of  this  interstice,  and  between  the 
1  play  of  the  equal  forces  enjoys  freedom  of  determination. 

1  Unless  Man  were  between  both,  he  would  have  no 
1  power  of  thought,  nor  any  will,  and  still  less  any  freedom 
4  and  choice ;  for  all  these  flow  from  the  Equilibrium  of 
4  Good  and  EviL'f 

Whether  or  not  this  exquisite  balance  between  Heaven 
and  Hell  is  preserved  in  the  Universe,  we  do  not  know  : 
Swedenborg  says  it  is,  and  the  statement  is  not  incredible : 
but  if  true  of  the  Universal  Mind  we  are  certain  it  is  not  of 
the  Individual.  If  we  are  to  consider  Diffusive  Love  as 
Heaven  and  Absorbent  Love  as  Hell,  we  need  take  no  pains 
to  prove,  that  in  countless  cases  there  is  no  approach  to 
equilibrium  kept  up  between  the  heavenly  and  the  infernal 
propensities :  yea  we  might  ask,  if  freedom  be  the  result  of 
a  poise  between  the  Love  of  Others  and  Self-Love,  who  is 
free  ?  There  may  be  some  method  of  reconciling  what 
Swedenborg  has  to  say  on  this  head  with  common  ex- 
perience, but  it  would  appear  as  if  in  this  matter  he  was 
exercising  his  fancy  far  out  of  sight  of  reality.  He  has 
another  theory  by  which  he  accounts  for  our  sense  of  free- 
dom, self-hood,  and  personality,  namely,  that  the  Divine 


*  Nob.  503  and  594. 

f  No*.  51rt  and  590,  and  '  Vera  Christiana  ftlfrjg,'  Nos.  475  and  407 


DEVILS  THEMSELVES  SEEK  HELL. 


503 


Life  whereby  Angel  and  Man  and  Devil  exist,  bears  into  all 
its  recipients  that  feeling  of  independence,  which  in  God  is 
a  reality,  but  in  His  Creatures  an  illusion,  and  which  illusion 
He  corrects  by  revelation.  That  theory  is,  to  my  mind,  the 
finest  interpretation  ever  offered  of  the  mystery  of  conscious- 
ness, but  the  second  explanation — the  Equilibrium  between 
Heaven  and  Hell — seems  to  derive  no  sanction  from  ex- 
perience or  revelation. 

The  Lord  casts  no  one  into  Hell,  but  Evil  Spirits  cast 
themselves  in. 

The  wide  distinction  between  damnation  according  to 
popular  beliefs  and  according  to  Swedenborg  must  have 
been  noted.  Both  agree  that  Hell  is  a  land  of  night,  of  fire, 
and  of  horror,  but  whilst  it  is  commonly  imagined  that  the 
Evil  are  cast  into  Hell  against  their  will,  Swedenborg  asserts 
that  they  abide  there  with  their  will — yea  desire  nothing 
more  earnestly* — and  that  the  sharpest  pains  of  the  Wicked 
result  when  they  venture  out  of  Hell,  or  come  in  contact 
with  Heaven.    Such  being  the  case  he  writes — 

4  Some  persons  have  believed  very  confidently,  that  God 
1  turns  away  His  face  from  Man,  rejects  him,  and  casts  him 
4  into  Hell,  and  that  He  is  angry  with  him  on  account  of 
1  his  evils ;  and  others  go  still  further,  and  affirm  that  God 
4  punishes  Man,  and  brings  evil  upon  him.  They  also  con- 
4  firm  this  opinion  from  the  Literal  Sense  of  the  Word,  in 
4  which  expressions  occur  which  appear  to  sustain  it ;  for 
4  they  are  not  aware  that  the  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Word, 
4  which  explains  the  Literal  Sense,  is  entirely  different,  and 
4  that  hence  the  genuine  doctrine  of  the  Church,  which  is 
4  derived  from  the  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Word,  teaches 
4  otherwise.     True  doctrine  declares,  that  the  Lord  never 


*  No.  547. 


504 


HELL  VINDICATED. 


1  turns  away  His  face  from  Man,  never  rejects  him,  never 
;  casts  any  one  into  Hell,  and  is  never  angry;  and  every  one, 
4  whose  Mind  is  in  a  state  of  illustration,'  [i*.e.,  whose  Mind 
is  in  the  Light  of  Heaven]  4  perceives  this  when  he  reads 
'  the  Word,  because  God  is  love  itself,  goodness  itself,  mercy 
4  itself:  goodness  itself  cannot  do  evil  to  anyone,  nor  can 
1  love  and  mercy  cast  Man  out ;  it  is  contrary  to  their  very 
k  essence,  and  therefore  contrary  to  the  Divine  Nature.** 

The  Evil  cast  themselves  into  Hell,  and  in  Hell  '  they 
4  are  severely  punished  in  order  that  they  may  be  deterred 
4  from  doing  evil,'  and  to  appearance  the  judgement  and  the 
punishment  are  of  the  Lord's  infliction ;  but  the  truth  is, 
4  His  relation  to  the  evil  doer  is  like  that  of  a  king,  or  a 
4  judge,  or  the  law,  none  of  which  is  the  cause  of  punish- 
4  ment,  because  none  of  them  compelled  the  criminal  to  do 
4  wrong.' | 

Thus  does  Swedenborg  seek  to  dispose  of  the  terrible 
questions  which  spring  out  of  the  creed  of  everlasting  per- 
dition. His  solution  is  plausible,  and  may  yield  temporary 
satisfaction  to  some,  but  the  core  of  the  difficulty — the 
responsibility  of  the  Creator  for  Hell — which  underlies  all 
these  apologies — is  untouched.  Neither  Swedenborg  nor 
his  generation  was  afflicted  with  the  benevolent  concern  for 
Devils  which  we  experience,  aud  hence  probably  his  super- 
ficial treatment  of  the  case.  Nevertheless,  I  believe,  that  in 
his  doctrine  of  Hell  or  Self-Love  lies  hid  the  just  vindication 
of  the  Divine  Love  in  the  existence  of  Evil :  but  of  this  we 
shall  be  better  qualified  to  speak  when  we  have  discussed 
his  treatise  on  the  Divine  Providence,  published  six  years 
after  the  present  on  Heaven  and  Hell. 

Some  will  ask,  Who  can  yield  credence  to  these  other- 
world  experiences?  To  answering  the  question.  Swedenborg 


*  No.  545. 


f  Nm.  548-550. 


WHO  WILL  BELIEVE. 


505 


devotes  his  last  paragraph ;  and  here  it  is  for  the  serious 
consideration  of  inquirers  :— 

'  What  is  said  in  this  work  concerning  Heaven,  the 
4  World  of  Spirits,  and  Hell  will  appear  obscure  to  those 
1  who  have  no  delight  in  the  knowledge  of  Spiritual  Truths, 
*  but  clear  to  those  who  have  delight,  and  especially  to 
1  those,  who  are  in  the  affection  of  Truth  for  its  own  sake, — 
i  that  is,  who  love  Truth  because  it  is  Truth ;  for  whatever 
4  is  loved  enters  with  light  into  the  ideas  of  the  Mind,  and 
1  this  is  eminently  the  case  when  that  which  is  loved  is 
4  Truth,  because  all  Truth  is  in  light.'* 


*  No.  G03. 


(    506  ) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  PLANETS  AND  THEIR  PEOPLE  * 


(  By  the  Divine  mercy  of  the  Lord,'  writes  Swedenborg, 
1  things  interior  are  open  to  me,  so  that  I  can  converse  with 
6  Spirits  and  Angels ;  and  inasmuch  as  I  desired  to  know 
1  whether  Worlds  like  our  own  existed,  what  sort  of  places 
1  they  were,  and  by  what  manner  of  people  inhabited,  the 
1  Lord  allowed  me  to  enter  into  intercourse  with  the  Spirits 
4  and  Angels  of  other  Earths,  with  some  for  a  day,  with  some 
4  for  a  week,  and  with  some  for  months,  so  that  my  curiosity 
4  might  be  satisfied. 

4  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  all  Spirits  and  Angels  are 
4  from  the  Human  Race  and  abide  near  the  Earths  on  which 
4  they  were  bred:  whoever  therefore  has  his  interiors  opened 
4  by  the  Lord  may  converse  with  them  as  man  with  man, 
4  and  be  informed  concerning  the  lands  from  which  they 
4  come.  Such  has  been  my  daily  privilege  for  twelve  years 
'past.'t  (1758). 

Ere  going  further,  it  will  be  well  to  note  three  points. 
First,  that  Swedenborg  did  not  profess  to  visit  the  Planets 
themselves  :  they  are  in  Nature,  and  to  see  them  with  his 
fleshly  eyes,  he  must  have  been  transferred  to  them  bodily. 
Second,  that  his  information  was  obtained  from  the  Spirits 


*  '  De  Telluribus  in  Mundo  nostro  Solari,  qurx  vocantur  Planets:  et  de 
1  Telluribus  in  Ccelo  Astri/ero :  deque  illarum  Incolis ;  turn  de  Spiritibus  et 
'  Angelis  ibi;  ex  And  it  is  et  Visis.  Londini :  1758.'  4to.  72  pages:  a  reprint 
of  some  chapters  in  the  'Arcana  Orlestia.1 

t  No.  1. 


MERCURIANS. 


507 


of  the  6everal  Earths  whom  he  encountered  in  the  Spiritual 
World.  Third,  that  as  these  Spirits  were  in  connection  with 
the  Planets  whereon  they  were  bred,  he  was  sometimes 
favoured  to  see  through  their  eyes  the  scenery  from  which 
they  had  ascended,  even  as  we  have  read,  that  Swedenborg 
himself  sometimes  lent  his  eyes  to  Spirits,  that  they  might 
enjoy  a  peep  into  our  world.* 

Of  the  habitability  of  the  Planets,  Swedenborg  enter- 
tained no  doubt,  considering  that  orbs  so  like  our  own 
must  have  been  created  for  similar  uses,  and  urging  the 
peculiar  and  characteristic  reason,  that  for  the  nutrition  of 
the  Grand  Man  of  Heaven  a  far  larger  field  is  requisite 
than  our  speck  of  earth  can  supply — 

4  The  Angelic  Heaven  is  so  immense  that  it  corresponds 
1  to  every  particular  in  Man,  exterior  and  interior,  myriads  of 
1  Angels  going  to  the  formation  of  every  member,  organ  and 
1  viscus,  and  to  the  affections  of  each ;  and  it  was  given  me 
c  to  know,  that  this  Heaven  cannot  by  any  means  exist 
4  except  by  drafts  from  innumerable  Earths.' f 

The  first  world  to  which  we  are  introduced  is — 

Mercury. 

The  people  of  Mercury  correspond  to  the  memory  of 
things  abstracted  from  their  material  conditions. 

When  they  met  Swedenborg,  they  instantly  explored 
his  memory  in  search  of  all  he  knew.  For  the  cities  and 
lands  he  had  visited  they  cared  nothing,  but  simply  for 
what  was  done  therein,  for  the  laws,  customs  and  characters 
of  the  inhabitants.  What  facts  of  this  description  they 
found  in  him  to  please  them,  they  picked  out  and  classified 
with  amazing  quickness  and  skill.  When  writing  his 
i  Arcana  CoelestiaJ  they  told  him,  that  what  he  set  forth  was 
very  superficial  and  common-place.    He  replied,  that  his 


*  See  page  395  of  the  present  volume.  f  Nos<  5  and  9. 


508 


ROVERS  AFTER  KNOWLEDGE. 


readers  found  it  so  subtle  and  elevated,  that  there  was  much 
which  they  could  not  comprehend.  They  then  wondered 
how  such  could  ever  become  Angels,  when  they  were  told, 
that  these  dull  ones,  if  they  only  lived  in  faith  and  charity, 
entered  a  higher  Heaven  than  theirs. 

Their  thirst  for  information  and  their  facility  in  its  acqui- 
sition are  almost  incredible.  They  explore  everybody  they 
meet  to  discover  what  he  knows.  A  certain  Spirit,  who 
affected  great  elegance  in  his  discourse  encountered  some 
Mercurians,  but  his  eloquence  was  lost  on  them.  They 
merely  listened  to  ascertain  if  he  had  anything  to  say,  which 
they  had  not  known  before ;  all  else  they  disregarded  as 
trash. 

In  consequence  of  their  immense  knowledge  they  are 
excessively  haughty  :  they  imagine  they  know  so  much,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  know  more.  About  this  pride,  they  were 
reproved :  they  were  told,  that  although  they  might  know  a 
great  deal,  it  was  as  nothing  compared  to  that  which  they  did 
not  know.  M  True,''  they  replied  ;  u  but  we  are  not  haughty; 
u  we  only  glory  in  our  grasp  of  memory."  They  were 
answered,  that  knowledge  is  only  valuable  for  its  use ;  to 
which  they  rejoined,  M  Our  delight  is  in  knowledges,  and  to 
a  us  knowledges  are  uses.'' 

The  Spirits  of  Mercury  never  remain  long  in  one  place, 
but  roam  through  the  Universe  in  companies  in  quest  of 
intelligence.  They  do  not  devise  their  routes,  but  arc 
conducted  as  by  instinct,  under  the  Divine  auspices,  to  where- 
ever  they  may  acquire  information  in  orderly  developement 
of  that  which  they  already  possess.  They  thus  experience  a 
constant  growth  in  science,  but  not  in  wisdom.  They  are 
not  distinguished  for  judgement  j  they  draw  no  conclusions 
from  their  learning ;  they  are  simply  satisfied  with  knowing. 

With  the  Spirits  of  bur  Earth,  those  of  Mercury  cannot 
abide  on  account  of  their  grossness.  Our  concern  is  for 
external  information ;  theirs  for  internal.     They  have  a 


MERCURIANS. 


509 


common  say  ing,  that  they  care  nothing  for  a  sheath,  but  for 
that  which  a  sheath  holds. 

On  Mercury  there  is  no  printing-press.  Some  of  its 
Spirits  sent  Swedenborg  a  long  printed  paper  made  up  of 
pieces  awkwardly  stuck  together  and  sneeringly  insinuated, 
that  the  knowledge  of  his  race  was  on  such  paper  and  not 
in  their  minds.  They  were  however  instructed  in  the  true 
state  of  the  case,  and  they  subsequently  sent  him  a  neatly 
printed  document,  saying,  they  knew  that  on  his  Earth  there 
was  such  paper  and  books  made  out  of  it. 

4 1  was  anxious  to  know  what  kind  of  face  and  body  the 
4  people  of  Mercury  have.  Instantly  there  appeared  before 
4  my  eyes  the  figure  of  one  of  their  women.  Her  face  was 
4  beautiful,  but  smaller  than  that  of  a  woman  of  our  Earth : 
4  she  was  more  slender,  but  of  equal  height :  she  wore  a  linen 
4  head  dress,  not  artfully  but  gracefully  disposed.  A  man 
4  was  also  presented.  He  too  was  also  more  slender  than  the 
4  men  of  our  Earth :  he  wore  a  garment  of  deep  blue,  fitted 
4  tightly  to  his  body,  without  folds  or  frills. 

'  There  was  then  shown  me  a  species  of  their  oxen.  They 
4  did  not  differ  much  from  ours,  except  that  they  were 
4  smaller  and  in  some  respects  like  deer.'* 

From  Mercury,  he  was  told,  the  Sun  looks  large — larger 
than  from  any  other  Earth.  The  climate  is  temperate.  4  Heat 
4  does  not  arise  from  the  Sun's  nearness,  but  from  the  depth 
4  and  density  of  a  Planet's  atmosphere,  as  appears  from  the 
4  cold  on  high  mountains  in  the  torrid  zone :  heat  is  also 
4  varied  according  to  the  direct  or  oblique  incidence  of  the 
4  Sun's  rays,  as  is  manifest  from  summer  and  winter  in 
4  every  region. 't 

Venus. 

In  Venus  are  two  kinds  of  men  ;  one  mild  and  humane, 


*  No.  44. 


f  No.  45. 


510 


VENUS  AND  MARS. 


the  other  savage  and  almost  brutal.  Some  of  the  Spirits 
from  the  mild  part  said,  that  they  acknowledged  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  God,  and  added  that  on  Yenus  they  had 
seen  Him. 

The  Spirits  of  Venus  in  the  Grand  Man  correspond  to 
the  memory  of  things  material  agreeing  with  the  memory  of 
things  immaterial,  to  which  latter  the  Spirits  of  Mercury 
correspond.  The  Spirits  of  Mercury  and  Venus  are  therefore 
intimately  related  as  sword  and  scabbard. 

With  the  savage  Spirits,  Swedenborg  did  not  speak  ; 
but  Angels  informed  him,  that  they  delight  in  rapine,  and 
especially  in  eating  their  spoil.  Their  delight  in  eating 
was  communicated  to  him  and  '  perceived  to  be  exceedingly 
'  great.'  They  are  for  the  most  part  giants  ;  the  men  of  our 
Earth  would  scarcely  reach  to  their  middles.  They  are 
stupid ;  they  make  no  inquiry  into  heavenly  things ;  all 
their  thoughts  are  absorbed  in  cares  about  land  and  cattle. 
After  death  they  are  dreadfully  infested  with  evils  and 
false  persuasions,  and  such  as  can  be  saved  undergo  severe 
trials — - 

' I  have  seen  some  after  they  had  passed  through  ex- 
4  treme  suffering  taken  up  into  Heaven,  and  when  they  were 
1  received  there  I  was  made  sensible  of  such  a  tenderness  of 
'joy  proceeding  from  them,  that  tears  were  drawn  from 
i  mine  eyes.'* 

Mars. 

The  best  Spirits  which  rise  from  our  solar  system  are 
those  of  Mars.  They  are  of  a  celestial  temper  not  unlike 
that  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church  on  our  own  Earth.  In 
the  Grand  Man  they  correspond  to  a  principle  mediate 
between  the  Will  and  the  Understanding. 

The  people  of  Mars  have  no  formal  governments,  but 


*  No.  no. 


MARS. 


511 


live  in  societies  of  friends,  as  do  Angels  in  the  Heavens, 
with  whom  some  of  them  have  open  intercourse.  They  are 
very  careful  to  expel  from  their  communities  any  who  begin 
to  think  perversely  and  thereby  incline  to  evil ;  and  such 
exiles  lead  a  most  wretched  life,  solitary  in  dens  and  other 
places.  By  this  timely  severity,  the  perfect  order  and  peace 
of  mutual  love  is  preserved,  and  the  encroachments  averted 
of  the  lusts  for  power  and  property  —  the  lusts  whereby 
Adam  lost  Eden  and  exchanged  the  ties  of  brotherhood  for 
the  rod  of  empire. 

As  was  the  case  in  the  Adamic  Church,  language  in 
Mars  is  almost  tacit,  being  effected  by  what  is  called  1  in- 
1  ternal  respiration,'  and  supplemented  by  lively  facial  action. 
By  these  means  thought  is  expressed  with  a  fullness  and 
delicacy  altogether  impossible  with  our  noisy  and  cumbrous 
speech.  Affectation  and  deceit  are  unknown ;  none  can 
dissimulate,  or  utter  more  or  less  than  he  really  thinks. 

The  people  of  Mars  worship  our  Lord,  saying,  He  is 
God  alone,  and  that  every  good  thing  is  from  Him ;  that 
He  leads  and  directs  them ;  and  that  He  often  appears 
amongst  them.  Of  themselves,  they  say,  they  are  Devils, 
and  that  solely  by  the  Divine  attraction  are  they  held  in 
Heaven  and  withheld  from  Hell. 

An  appearance  of  an  inhabitant  of  Mars  was  presented. 
His  face  was  like  that  of  a  man  of  our  Earth.  He  had  no 
beard,  but  instead  a  blackness  where  the  beard  grows.  The 
upper  part  of  his  face  was  sallow. 

The  food  of  the  people  of  Mars  consists  of  fruit  and  pulse, 
and  chiefly  of  a  round  fruit  which  buds  out  of  the  ground. 
Their  garments  are  made  from  the  fibrous  bark  of  trees, 
woven  and  stiffened  with  gum.  It  is  said,  they  have  an  art 
of  making  fluid  fires,  wherewith  they  lighten  their  nights. 

Jupiter. 

With    Spirits   from   Jupiter,    Swedenborg   had  more 


512 


HABITS  IN  JUPITER. 


familiar  acquaintance  than  with  any  others.  They  re- 
ported, that  their  Earth  was  as  densely  peopled  as  it 
could  be,  and  that  it  was  fruitful  exceedingly.  The  in- 
habitants have  no  desires  beyond  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  hence  their  numbers.  They  are  distinguished  into 
nations,  tribes,  and  houses ;  all  of  one  kindred  dwell  apart, 
and  intercourse  is  confined  to  relatives.  Among  them  is 
no  covetousnes3  or  violence.  When  told  of  the  wars, 
murders  and  thefts  on  our  Earth,  the  Spirits  turned  away 
in  horror. 

Swedenborg  could  discern  the  presence  of  the  Spirits  of 
Jupiter  by  the  inexpressible  sweetness  and  gentleness  of 
their  sphere — 

'  The  tranquillity  and  delight  with  which  they  inspired 
4  me  sensibly  filled  my  breast  and  heart ;  at  the  same  time 
'  there  was  a  removal  of  cupidities  and  anxieties  about  the 
*  future,  which  cause  disquiet  and  excitement.'- 

1  It  was  shown  me  what  kind  of  faces  the  inhabitants  of 
1  Jupiter  have ;  not  that  I  saw  the  inhabitants  themselves,  but 
c  Spirits  with  faces  similar  to  those  they  had  when  they  dwelt 
'  on  Jupiter.  Two  faces  were  presented.  They  were  like 
c  the  faces  of  the  Men  of  our  own  Earth,  fair  and  beautiful  ; 
4  sincerity  and  modesty  shone  forth  from  them.'f 

Great  care  is  bestowed  on  the  face  in  Jupiter  ;  it  is 
washed  frequently  and  is  kept  shaded  from  the  sun.  The 
face,  they  say,  is  of  the  first  importance,  for  it  is  the  mirror 
of  the  mind ;  and  with  them  it  is  the  chief  instrument  of 
conversation.  By  their  eyes  and  lips  they  communicate 
their  thoughts  and  feelings,  and  devoid  of  deceit,  they  allow 
every  fibre  to  have  free  play.  Vocal  discourse  is  also  used 
in  Jupiter,  but  it  is  not  so  loud  as  with  us. 

Thus  conversed  the  people  of  the  Adamic  or  Golden 
Age  in  this  world.    Every  one  may  perceive  that  the 


*  No.  51. 


f  No.  52. 


DEPORTMENT  IN  JUPITER. 


513 


earliest  people  could  not  have  many  words,  for  language 
is  a  slow  growth  of  time.  Besides  discourse  by  the  coun- 
tenance far  excels  talk,  even  as  seeing  does  hearing  and  a 
landscape  its  description. 

There  are  large  horses  which  roam  wild  in  Jupiter. 
The  inhabitants  are  afraid  of  them,  but  they  do  no  harm. 

Through  Swedenborg's  eyes,  some  Spirits  of  Jupiter 
were  permitted  to  see  faces  on  our  Earth.  They  pro- 
nounced them  not  handsome,  and  any  comeliness  they  had, 
skin  deep  and  not  reaching  the  fibres  which  display  pro- 
found emotion.  They  were  surprised  to  see  faces  studded 
with  pimples  and  deformed,  saying,  that  such  were  unknown 
amongst  them.  Nevertheless  some  countenances,  which 
were  smiling  and  peaceful  and  slightly  full  about  the  lips, 
gave  them  satisfaction. 

In  Jupiter  they  do  not  walk  erect  as  we  do,  nor  creep  on 
fours,  but  as  they  move  along  assist  themselves  with  their 
hands,  and  alternately  half  elevate  themselves  on  their  feet, 
and  at  every  third  step  turn  the  face  sideways  and  back- 
wards, bending  the  body  a  little  suddenly  :  a  motion  almost 
like  that  seen  in  some  swimmers,  who  as  they  help  themselves 
with  their  hands,  turn  their  heads  round. 

It  is  thought  indecent  by  them  to  be  seen  in  any  other 
way  than  with  the  face  in  front.  In  walking  they  keep  the 
face  elevated ;  to  look  downwards  they  consider  vile  and 
abject ;  the  humblest  amongst  them  moves  about  with  an 
upward  gaze  ;  and  any  who  acquire  a  contrary  habit,  are 
expelled  from  society. 

They  delight  in  long  meals,  not  for  the  sake  of  eating, 
but  for  conversation.  They  do  not  dress  their  food  to 
please  the  palate,  but  simply  to  make  it  wholesome,  finding 
in  the  end,  that  what  is  wholesome  is  savoury.  They  sit 
cross-legged  at  table  on  fig  leaves  spread  on  the  ground; 
and  are  always  cautious  to  keep  their  faces  in  front,  and 
not  to  be  seen  from  behind. 


514 


BCIENCE8  NOT  CULTIVATED. 


In  bed,  they  lie  with  their  faces  to  the  window  and 
not  to  the  wall.  They  fancy,  that  to  keep  the  face  to 
the  light  is  to  look  towards  the  Lord  :  whereon  remarks 
Swedenborg — 

1  I  have  sometimes  observed  when  I  was  in  bed,  such  a 
1  direction  of  the  face,  but  I  never  knew  before  whence  it 
4  was.'* 

In  their  warm  climates,  they  go  naked  except  about 
the  loins ;  nor  are  they  ashamed,  having  chaste  minds. 
Some  Spirits  from  our  Earth,  hearing  of  their  mode  of 
walking  and  their  nakedness,  commenced  jeering  ;  but  they 
were  told,  that  nakedness  gives  no  occasion  for  shame  or 
scandal  to  the  innocent,  but  only  to  the  lascivious.  With 
the  Spirits  of  our  Earth,  those  of  Jupiter  are  not  willing  to 
associate,  saying,  they  are  cunning,  quick  at  mischief,  and 
thinking  little  good. 

Wisdom,  they  consider,  consists  in  the  right  applica- 
tion of  truth  to  the  business  of  life.  Of  the  Sciences,  which 
we  in  Europe  cultivate,  they  know  nothing,  and  desire  to 
know  nothing.  Some  Spirits  of  our  Earth  boasted  of  their 
memory,  of  their  acquaintance  with  Latin,  Greek,  and 
Hebrew,  Criticism  and  Metaphysics,  but  it  was  made  mani- 
fest, that  there  was  no  Wisdom  in  any  quantity  of  such 
stuff.  The  Spirits  from  Jupiter  however  went  further  and 
contemned  such  Science  as  clouds  over  true  Intelligence  ; 
and  in  so  far  they  were  in  error  :  but  they  were  shewn, 
that  whilst  verbal  knowledge  is  indeed  worthless,  Wisdom 
derives  from  Science  means  and  material  for  use  and 
developement. 

The  Angels  from  Jupiter  correspond  in  the  Grand 
Man  to  Imaginative  Thought,  whilst  the  Angels  from  our 
Earth  rise  no  higher  than  functions  in  the  external  parts 
of  his  Body  :  hence  it  is  easy  to  see  how  Spirits  from 


-  No.  :r,. 


HOUSES  AND  WORSHIP  IN  JUPITER. 


515 


the  two  Worlds  can  have  little  satisfaction  in  each  other's 
company. 

The  houses  in  Jupiter  are  low  and  of  wood,  coated  with 
bark  of  a  pale  blue  colour :  the  walls  and  ceilings  are 
decorated  with  little  stars.  They  are  fond  of  picturing  the 
sky  on  the  insides  of  their  houses,  believing  the  stars  to  be 
the  abodes  of  the  Angels.  They  have  also  tents  decorated 
in  the  same  manner :  to  them  they  retire  in  the  heat  of  the 
day,  and  in  them  take  their  meals.  In  the  construction  of 
their  dwellings  and  in  their  domestic  economy,  they  are 
scrupulously  nice. 

They  worship  the  Lord,  calling  Him  the  Only  Lord. 
The  Spirits  were  asked  whether  they  knew  that  the  Lord  is 
a  Man.  They  answered,  that  they  all  know  He  is  a  Man, 
because  in  Jupiter  He  has  been  seen  by  many  as  a  Man : 
that  He  instructs  them,  preserves  them,  and  is  eternal  life  to 
those  who  serve  Him  in  being  good.  They  said  further,  that 
He  reveals  what  they  ought  to  believe  and  how  they  ought 
to  live,  and  what  is  thus  revealed  is  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation ;  but  they  fancy  that  this  revela- 
tion is  innate — is  written  in  their  minds,  for  whenever  they 
hear  these  revealed  truths,  they  instantly  recognize  and 
acknowledge  them. 

They  do  not  know  that  the  Lord  was  born  on  our  Earth: 
they  said  it  was  no  concern  of  theirs  ;  it  was  enough  to 
know,  that  He  is  Man  and  Lord  of  the  Universe.  When 
told,  that  on  our  Earth  He  is  named  Christ  Jesus,  and 
that  Christ  signifies  Anointed  or  King,  and  Jesus,  Saviour, 
they  replied,  that  they  do  not  worship  the  Lord  as  King, 
for  King  suggests  an  idea  of  outer  force,  but  as  Saviour. 

They  set  no  times  apart  as  holidays,  but  every  morning 
at  sunrise,  and  every  evening  at  sunset,  worship  the  Lord 
and  sings  psalms  in  their  tents. 

They  are  very  cautious,  that  no  one  should  fall  into 
erroneous  religious  opinions.    Those  who  do  err  are  first 

2  l  2 


516 


JUPITEB  AND  SATURN* 


admonished,  then  threatened ;  and,  if  they  persist,  are 
suffocated  by  chastising  Spirits.  Thus  the  worship  of  the 
Lord  is  preserved  in  purity  in  Jupiter. 

Nevertheless  there  are  some  who  live  in  error  and 
wickedness.  These  set  up  as  saints  and  mediators  between 
the  Lord  and  their  fellows — a  repetition  of  our  Papal  system 
— and  adore  the  sun,  calling  it  the  Lord's  face.  The  good 
inhabitants  hold  them  in  aversion  and  have  no  intercourse 
with  them. 

The  average  duration  of  human  life  in  Jupiter  is  thirty 
of  our  years.  It  is  of  the  Lord's  Providence  that  life 
should  be  so  brief,  for  otherwise  the  people  would  grow 
more  numerous  than  the  earth  could  support.  The  people 
arrive  early  at  maturity  and  marry  young  ;  and  their  prime 
delight  is  found  in  their  conjugal  and  parental  relationships. 
Death  has  for  them  no  terror,  inasmuch  as  continued  exist- 
ence in  Heaven  is  their  most  familiar  prospect.  They  do 
not  die  of  disease,  but  tranquilly  as  in  sleep.  Of  the  approach 
of  death,  they  have  fair  warning  in  the  appearance  of  a  bald 
head.  At  the  sight  of  this  vision,  they  know  their  decease  is 
certain  within  a  year,  and  at  once  prepare  for  the  change. 

'  I  was  allowed  to  see  how  the  Spirits  of  Jupiter,  when 
1  ready,  are  taken  up  into  Heaven  and  become  Angels.  On 
'  such  occasions,  there  appear  chariots  and  bright  horses  as  of 
L  fire,  by  which  they  are  carried  away  like  Elijah.  In  Heaven, 
'  they  appear  clothed  in  shining  raiment  of  blue,  spotted 
1  with  little  stars  of  gold.'* 

Saturn. 

The  Spirits  of  Saturn  are  upright  and  modest,  and 
inasmuch  as  they  esteem  themselves  little,  they  appear  little. 
In  the  Grand  Man,  they  correspond  to  a  middle  sense  between 
the  Spiritual  and  Natural  Man. 


*  Nos.  82  and  S3. 


SATURN  AND  THE  MOON. 


517 


In  worship,  the  people  of  Saturn  are  profoundly  humble, 
feeling  themselves  as  nothing.  They  acknowledge  our  Lord 
as  the  only  God ;  and  sometimes  He  appears  to  them  in  an 
Angelic  Form.  When  they  come  to  a  certain  age,  they  begin 
to  converse  with  Spirits,  who  instruct  them  concerning  the 
Lord,  how  He  is  to  be  worshipped,  and  how  they  ought 
to  live. 

They  dwell  in  families,  every  family  by  itself;  each 
family  consisting  of  a  man  and  wife  and  children.  When 
the  children  marry  they  leave  their  parents'  house  and  think 
no  more  about  it :  wherefore  the  Spirits  of  Saturn  appear 
two  and  two. 

They  bestow  very  little  thought  on  food  and  raiment : 
they  subsist  on  the  fruit  and  pulse  their  earth  yields,  and 
protect  themselves  from  the  cold  with  a  coarse  skin  or  coat. 
Knowing  that  their  real  life  commences  at  death,  they  care 
nothing  for  their  bodies,  except  so  far  as  they  subserve  the 
ends  of  eternal  existence.  Hence  they  do  not  bury  their 
dead,  but  cast  them  forth  and  cover  them  with  branches  of 
forest  trees. 

Being  questioned  about  the  great  belt  which  encircles 
their  Earth,  they  said,  it  does  not  appear  to  them  as  a  belt, 
but  as  something  whitish  like  snow  strewed  in  the  sky. 
Some  call  their  nocturnal  light,  which  is  great,  the  Lord, 
but  these  are  not  tolerated.  The  nocturnal  light  is  from  the 
belt  and  the  moons. 

The  Moon. 

The  Spirits  from  the  Moon  are  dwarfs  like  children  of 
seven  years  old,  but  more  robust.  Their  faces  are  not 
unhandsome,  but  longer  than  ordinary.  They  do  not 
speak  from  the  lungs,  but  from  air  in  the  abdomen,  and 
with  a  noise  like  thunder.  This  peculiarity  results  from 
the  nature  of  the  Moon's  atmosphere. 

1 1  was  informed,  that  the  Spirits  of  the  Moon  in  the 


518 


THE  MOON  INHABITED. 


4  Grand  Man  have  relation  to  the  ensiform  cartilage  or 
4  xiplwides,  to  which  the  ribs  in  front  are  attached,  and  from 
4  which  descends  the  fascia  alha1  which  is  the  fulcrum  of  the 
4  abdominal  muscles.'* 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  the  Moon,  by  reason  of 
the  absence  of  air  and  water,  is  uninhabited — at  any  rate  on 
the  hemisphere  which  is  subject  to  our  gaze.  Swedenborg 
meets  the  aerial  objection,  but  has  nothing  to  say  as  to  the 
aqueous  j  and  in  this  very  summary  manner  would  settle 
all  scepticism — 

4  It  is  well  known  to  Spirits  and  Angels,  that  there  are 
4  inhabitants  in  the  Moon,  and  in  the  Moons  which  revolve 
4  about  Jupiter  and  Saturn.  Even  those  who  have  not  seen 
4  and  conversed  with  any  Lunar  Spirits,  entertain  no  doubt 
4  that  the  Moons  are  inhabited,  for  they  too  are  Earths,  and 
4  where  there  is  an  Earth,  there  is  Mao — Man  being  the 
4  end  for  which  every  Earth  exists,  and  without  an  end 
4  nothing  was  made  by  the  Great  Creator.  Every  one  who 
4  thinks  from  reason,  in  any  degree  enlightened,  must  see, 
4  that  the  Human  Race,  from  which  the  Heavens  exist,  is 
4  the  final  cause  of  Creation.' f 

In  the  main,  this  argument  may  be  sound,  but  since  we 
have  immense  deserts  in  Asia  and  Africa  and  vast  un- 
peopled paradises  in  South  America,  Why  should  it 
surprise  us  if  there  be  here  and  there  a  vacant  Moon  or 
Planet  in  the  Universe  *?  Our  own  Earth  existed  for 
myriads  of  ages  in  preparation  for  Mail ;  Why  not  then 
other  Earths  ? 

In  noticing  the  4  Be  Cultu  et  Amove  BciJ  published  in 
1745,  occasion  was  taken  to  repudiate  the  foolish  story,  that 
Swedenborg  had,  long  before  Herschcl,  announced  the 
existence  of  a  seventh  Planet ;  and  if  proof  were  wanting 
that  he  was  as  ignorant  as  his  contemporaries  of  Uranus 


*  No.  111. 


f  No.  112. 


UK  ANUS  AND  NEPTUNE  UNKNOWN. 


519 


and  Xeptune  and  the  scores  of  little  Earths  which  revolve 
between  Mars  and  Jupiter,  it  would  be  supplied  in  the 
present  treatise  wherein  there  is  not  the  slightest  hint  of 
any  world  outside  Saturn.     Probably  some  will  convert 
this  ignorance  into  a  weapon  of  offence  against  Swedenborg, 
saying,  How  can  we  trust  him  where  we  cannot  test  him, 
when  we  find  him  ignorant  where  we  might  test  him  ? 
when   it  would  have  been  so  easy  to  have  given  us 
incontrovertible  evidence  of  his  powers  by  anticipating 
Herschel,  Adams  and  Leverrier  '?    It  is  neither  my  inclina- 
tion nor  vocation  to  parry  such  thrusts,  but  I  would  simply 
observe,  that  his  ignorance  on  this  and  similar  scores 
might  be  inferred  from  the  conditions  of  his  seership  as 
stated  by  himself.    When  pressed  by  the  Queen  of  Sweden 
as  to  the  persons  with  whom  he  could  converse  in  the 
Spiritual  World,  he  answered,  that  he  could  discover  only 
those  of  whom  he  could  form  some   idea,  whether  from 
personal  acquaintance  on  Earth  or  from  history  or  repute. * 
The  same  must  have  been  true  of  the  Spirits  of  the  Planets. 
He  could  only  search  for  what  he  knew  existed.    Some  clue 
of  fact,  however  slight,  was  requisite  to  establish  rapport, 
even  as  a  mesmerized  clairvoyant  demands  a  letter  or 
a  lock  of  hair  as  a  starting  point  of  exploration.  Inasmuch 
as  Swedenborg   knew  nothing   naturally  of  Uranus  or 
Xeptune,  How   could  he   ask  for   their   Spirits   in  the 
Spiritual  World  ?     He  might  mdeed  have  struck  upon 
them  by  reason  of  some  chance  affinity,  but  even  in  that 
case  it  would  have  been  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  them 
to  have  indicated  to  his  apprehension  their  place  in  Creation. 
Xo  quest  indeed  can  be  more  hopeless,  than  for  physical 
information  in  the  spiritual  sphere. 


*  The  conversation  is  related  by  General  Tuxen. 


520 


THE  BUM  UNNOTICED. 


The  Sun. 

Far  back  in  1719,  Eric  Bcnzelius  suggested  to  Sweden- 
borg,  that  Hell  might  be  the  Sun  ;  to  which  he  replied,  L  It 
c  would  be  absurd  to  imagine,  that  the  Sun's  heat  is  used  to 
4  torment  the  bodies  of  the  Damned.  The  nearer  the  Sun 
1  the  finer  are  the  Elements.  In  the  Sun  itself  their 
1  fineness  is  probably  such,  that  their  particles  are  almost 
i  devoid  of  composition  and  put  off  the  name  of  Matter. 
4  It  would  therefore  seem  likely,  that  the  Sun — the  finest 
1  sphere — would  be  the  finest  Being — a  God,  an  Angel — 
1  a  something,  which,  as  it  is  not  material,  must  be  most 
1  eminent.  For  these  reasons  I  incline  to  believe,  that  God 
1  has  His  seat  in  the  Sun,  as  the  Bible  says.'* 

Of  the  Sun  in  the  present  treatise  he  tells  nothing,  not 
even  whether  it  is  inhabited,  but  probably  he  deemed  the 
information  superfluous,  unless  indeed  we  might  conceive 
of  a  race  of  men  with  the  constitutions  of  salamanders.  In 
other  writings  he  frequently  asserts,  *  that  the  Sun  is  pure 
'  fire,'f  but  without  explaining  what  he  means  by  pure  fire, 
except  in  one  place  where  he  states,  *  the  Sun  consists  of 
1  created  substances  whose  activity  produces  fire.' \  In  these 
assertions  there  is  slight,  if  any,  advance  on  the  speculation 
of  1719  save  in  the  doctrine,  that  the  Sun's  radiance,  in 
common  with  the  Stars,  is  fed  by  perpetual  influx  from  the 
Spiritual  Sun — the  Sun  of  the  Heavens,  the  effluence  and 
the  glory  of  the  Infinite  Majesty. 

Having  disposed  of  our  Solar  System,  he  brings  us  to  a 
chapter,  the  most  important  in  his  book,  headed — 


*  From  Letter  cited  in  the  present  volume,  pp.  61,  62. 

f  See  for  instances  1  Vera  Christiana  lieligio,1  Nos.  35  and  41  ;  1  De  Divino 
1  A  more  et  de  Divina  Sapiential  Nos.  89  and  157;  and  '  De  Amore  Con- 
jiK/iali,1  Nos.  1S2  and  532. 

t  1  Vera  Chri.-(i'f»  r  JuJir/io.'  No.  172. 


WHY  OUR  EARTH  WAS  CHOSEN. 


521 


*  The  Reasons  why  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  be  born  on  our 
Earth,  and  not  on  another. 

4  There  are  several  reasons,  concerning  which  I  have 
had  information  from  Heaven,  why  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
be  born  and  assume  Humanity  on  onr  Earth  and  not  on 
another.  The  chief  reason  was  on  account  of  the  Word, 
that  it  might  be  written  on  onr  Earth  ;  and  when  written 
be  published  afterwards  throughout  the  whole  Earth  :  and 
when  once  published  be  preserved  to  all  posterity  ;  and 
1  that  thus  it  might  be  made  manifest,  that  God  was  made 
4  Man,  even  to  all  in  the  other  life. 

L — *  On  Account  of  the  Word.  —  The  Word  is  Divine 
4  Truth  itself,  which  teaches  that  there  is  a  God,  a  Heaven 
1  and  a  Hell,  a  life  after  death,  and  how  a  Man  ought  to 
4  believe  and  live,  so  that  he  may  obtain  Heaven  and  eternal 
1  felicity.  Without  revelation,  so  without  the  Word,  all 
c  this  would  be  entirely  unknown  on  onr  Earth. 

II.  — *  That  the  Word  might  be  written  on  our  Earth. — The 
1  art  of  writing  has  existed  here  from  the  earliest  times, 
1  first  on  the  bark  of  trees,  next  on  skins,  afterwards  on 
1  paper,  and  lastly  by  printing.  This  was  provided  by  the 
4  Lord  for  the  sake  of  the  Word. 

III.  — '  That  the  Word  might  afterwards  be  published 
4  throughout  the  whole  Earth.  —  Here,  there  is  commerce 
1  among  all  nations  by  land  and  water,  and  the  Word  once 
1  written  amongst  ns  may  be  conveyed  and  taught  every- 
1  where. 

IV.  — c  That  the  Word  once  written  might  be  preserved  to 
1  all  posterity,  for  thousands  and  thousands  of  years. — That  it 
'  has  been  so  preserved  is  well  known. 

V.  — L  That  thus  it  might  be  made  manifest  that  God  had 
1  become  Man.  —  It  was  with  a  view  to  this  end  that  the 
4  Word  was  revealed,  since  no  one  can  believe  in  a  God 
1  and  love  a  God,  whom  he  cannot  comprehend  under  some 
k  appearance  :  wherefore  they  who  resolve  God  into  an  in- 


522 


OUR  EARTH  IS  THE  UTTERMOST. 


4  visible  and  incomprehensible  principle  sink  their  thought 
4  into  Nature  and  believe  in  no  God.  Hence  it  pleased  the 
4  Lord  to  be  born  on  this  Earth,  and  to  make  the  fact 
4  manifest  by  the  Word,  that  it  might  not  only  be  known 
4  on  this  globe,  but  to  Spirits  and  Angels  from  other 
4  Earths. 

4  In  every  other  Earth  in  the  Universe,  Divine  Truth 
4  is  communicated  orally  by  Spirits  and  Angels,  and  in- 
4  asmuch  as  in  most  Earths  the  inhabitants  live  isolated 
4  in  families,  the  Truth  thus  revealed  is  but  slightly  diffused, 
1  and,  unless  constantly  renewed,  is  either  perverted  or 
1  perishes.  With  us,  it  is  quite  otherwise  ;  the  Word  in 
4  its  integrity  is  secure  for  ever. 

1  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  Lord  receives  all  from 
4  whatever  Earth,  who  acknowledge  and  worship  God  under 
4  a  Human  Form — God  under  a  Human  Form  being  the 
4  Lord :  and  as  the  Lord  appears  to  the  people  of  the 
4  several  Earths  as  an  Angel,  when  they  learn  in  the 
4  Spiritual  World  from  the  Spirits  of  our  Earth,  that  God 
4  is  actually  Man,  they  receive  that  Word  with  joy. 

4  To  these  reasons  may  be  added,  that  in  the  Grand 
4  Man,  the  people  of  our  Earth  correspond  to  the  uttermost 
4  senses.  Hence  the  Divine  Truth  in  the  Letter  of  our 
4  Scriptures  was  reduced  to  the  lowest  expressions,  and  the 
4  Lord  by  His  incarnation  in  Mary,  from  the  First  became 

4  likewise  the  Last  This  however  is  an  argument, 

4  which  will  be  intelligible  to  a  very  few.'* 

In  looking  over  these  reasons,  it  is  to  be  carefully 
borne  in  mind,  that  in  Swedenborg's  eye,  the  peoples 
of  the  whole  Universe  of  Earths  are  one  people — one  Grand 
Man  ;  that  he  held,  that  the  relations  of  the  people  of  any 
one  Earth  to  the  peoples  of  all  other  Earths  are  as  intimate 
as  is  any  part  of  a  man's  body  to  the  other  parts.  The 


*  Nos.  113  to  122. 


FIVE  UNKNOWN  WORLDS. 


523 


solidarity  of  Universal  Humanity  is  constantly  assumed  by 
Swedenborg,  and  his  reader  need  never  expect  to  under- 
stand him  until  he  concedes  that  premiss. 

In  this  view  of  Universal  Humanity,  our  function  is 
defined  as  that  of  the  skin.  In  us,  the  forces  of  spiritual 
life  reach  their  circumference  and  find  fixity  and  fulcrum. 
The  Divine  Wisdom,  which  in  more  interior  regions  is  in 
constant  flux  and  renewal,  is  with  us  set  fast  in  the  story  of 
Israel  and  Jesus  Christ ;  and  moreover,  what  is  thus  done 
for  us  and  with  us,  is  done  for  the  Universe,  since  all  worlds 
are  included  in  us  as  is  the  whole  body  in  the  skin.  We 
are  mean,  but  in  our  very  meanness  is  our  importance. 

In  conclusion,  Swedenborg  treats  us  to  a  description  of 
Five  Earths  beyond  our  Solar  System  in  the  Starry 
Heavens. 

The  First  Earth. 

The  people  worship  an  Angel  who  appears  to  them  for 
the  Lord.  They  said  they  knew,  that  the  Most  High  God 
is  the  Sun  of  Heaven,  but  that  He  is  too  great  for  them  to 
adore  Him,  and  that  He  appears  to  their  Angel  but  not  to 
them. 

'  The  Angel  they  worship  is  an  Angelic  Society,  to 
4  which  it  is  granted  by  the  Lord  to  preside  over  them,  and 
c  to  instruct  them  in  what  is  just  and  right.  Their  light  is 
'  fiery  and  yellow  like  that  from  a  torch  flame — a  conse- 

i  quence  of  their  not  adoring  the  Lord  immediately  

1  In  other  respects  they  are  modest,  rather  simple,  but  still 
4  right  thinking.'* 

In  some  degree  their  Earth  was  seen,  and  there  appeared 
green  fields  and  trees  in  foliage,  also  fleecy  sheep.  Some  of 
the  lower  orders  came  into  view,  who  were  clothed  very  like 


*  Nos.  130  and  131. 


524 


AN  EARTH  RELATED  TO  THE  SPLEEN'. 


the  peasantry  of  Europe :  likewise  a  man  and  his  wife,  she 
tall  and  graceful,  he  with  a  stately  carriage  and  a  look  of 
haughtiness.  The  Angels  said,  that  such  were  the  manners 
on  that  Earth,  and  that  whilst  the  women  were  humble  they 
loved  the  men,  who  in  spite  of  their  lofty  hearing,  were  well 
disposed. 

4  I  was  informed,  that  the  People  and  Spirits  of  that 
4  Earth  have  relation  to  something  in  the  Spleen  of  the 
4  Grand  Man  ;  in  which  information  I  was  confirmed  by  an 
'  influx  into  the  Spleen  whilst  they  conversed  with  me.1* 

\\  ith  the  Spirits  of  that  Earth,  he  compared  notes  as  to 
the  differences  between  us  and  them,  4  and  especially  con- 
4  cerning  the  Sciences  cultivated  exclusively  on  our  Earth, 
4  such  as  Astronomy,  Geometry,  Mechanics,  Physics,  Che- 
4  mistry,  Medicine,  Optics,  and  Natural  Philosophy,  and 
4  Arts  unknown  elsewhere,  as  Ship-Building  and  Metal- 
4  lurgy,  and  Writing  and  Printing  whereby  we  communicate 
4  with  one  another  at  a  distance,  preserve  thought  for 
4  thousands  of  years,  and  hold  the  revelation  of  the  Word  in 
4  permanence. 'f 

Lastly,  he  was  permitted  to  see  the  Hell  of  that  Earth, 
4  and  very  terrible  was  the  appearance  of  the  Devils  therein, 
4  insomuch  that  I  dare  not  describe  their  hideous  faces. 
4  There  were  also  seen  female  magicians,  who  practise  dire- 
4  ful  arts:  they  appeared  clad  in  green,  and  struck  me  with 
4  horror. 'I 

A  Second  Earth. 

The  Angels  of  this  Earth  have  relation  to  vision  in  the 
Grand  Man  and  are  remarkably  keen-sighted. 

4  In  conversing  with  them,  I  compared  them  to  eagles, 
4  which  fligh  high  and  scan  all  below  ;  but  they  were  offended 
4  with  the  comparison,  fancying  that  I  likened  them  to  eagles 


*  No.  132. 


f  No.  136. 


|  No.  137. 


AN  IMAGE  WORSHIPPED. 


525 


*  for  rapacity,  and  that  I  thought  them  wicked.  I  replied 
i  however,  that  I  compared  them  to  eagles,  not  as  to  rapacity, 
1  but  as  to  sharp-sightedness.'  * 

Being  questioned  as  to  the  God  they  worshipped,  they 
answered,  that  they  worshipped  a  God  visible  and  invisible 
— a  God  under  a  Human  Form  and  a  God  without  Form. 
He  told  them,  that  we  too  on  this  Earth  worshipped  a  God 
visible  and  invisible,  the  invisible  God  being  the  Father,  and 
the  visible  the  Lord,  and  that  both  are  One  as  the  Lord 
Himself  taught,  saying,  that  whilst  no  man  had  seen  the 
Father,  he  who  saw  Him  saw  the  Father. 

Some  Spirits  from  this  second  Earth  were  seen  wor- 
shipping an  idol  of  stone  like  a  man,  but  not  handsome. 
Swedenborg  said  to  them,  that  they  ought  not  to  worship 
what  was  dead  but  what  was  alive.  They  said  in  return, 
that  they  knew  God  lived  and  not  the  stone,  but  when  they 
looked  at  the  statue  they  were  enabled  to  concentrate  their 
minds  on  the  invisible  Deity.  He  rejoined,  that  the  invisible 
God  is  only  rightly  approached  through  the  Lord,  who  is 
God  visible  in  thought  under  a  Human  Form,  and  that  thus, 
and  thus  only,  can  Man  be  truly  conjoined  to  his  Maker. 

Some  good  Spirits  from  the  same  Earth  were  questioned 
as  to  whether  in  their  world  they  were  governed  by  kings. 
They  answered,  that  they  did  not  know  what  kingly  rule 
was  ;  that  they  live  under  themselves  in  nations,  families  and 
houses.  It  was  then  asked,  whether  they  abode  in  security  ; 
to  which  they  replied,  that  they  did,  for  no  one  envied 
another  or  sought  to  invade  his  rights.  These  queries 
excited  indignation,  as  arguing  suspicion  ;  and  turning  on 
Swedenborg,  they  exclaimed,  u  What  need  we  more  than 
a  food  and  raiment  ?  and  with  these,  why  should  we  not  rest 
"  content!" 

Being  further  examined  as  to  their  Earth,  they  said  it 


*  No.  140. 


526 


SPINNING  AND  WEAVING. 


had  green  fields,  gardens  and  orchards,  and  lakes  abounding 
in  fish  ;  blue  birds  tipped  with  gold  ;  animals  great  and 
small,  and  one  of  them  like  our  camel.  They  do  not  eat  the 
flesh  of  their  animals,  but  fish,  fruit  and  pulse  :  nor  do  they 
live  in  houses,  but  in  groves,  forming  a  roof  against  sun  and 
rain  by  twisting  the  boughs. 

Their  faces  were  not  unlike  those  on  our  Earth,  except 
that  the  eyes  and  nose  were  small.  This  appeared  to 
Swedenborg  a  deformity,  but  they  said,  that  they  considered 
a  small  nose  and  eyes  to  be  marks  of  beauty. 

4  A  female  was  seen  in  a  dress  dotted  with  roses  of  various 
*  colours.  I  asked  whence  they  derived  their  materials  for 
4  clothing.  They  answered,  that  they  gather  from  certain 
4  plants  a  fibre  which  they  spin  into  thread,  and  that  they 
4  then  lay  the  threads  in  double  and  triple  rows  and  fix  them 
4  with  a  glutinous  liquor.  Afterwards  they  dye  the  cloth 
4  witli  the  juices  of  herbs.  It  was  shewn  me  how  they  make 
4  the  thread.  The  women  sit  on  the  ground,  and  twist  it 
4  with  their  toes,  and  when  twisted,  draw  it  towards  them, 
'  and  work  it  with  the  hand.'* 

They  said,  that  on  their  Earth  every  husband  had  but 
one  wife  ;  nevertheless  there  were  harlots  among  them,  but 
that  all  such  were  at  death  cast  into  Hell  as  magicians.  The 
number  of  children  in  a  family  is  from  ten  to  fifteen. 

A  Third  Earth. 

The  Spirits  of  this  Earth  were  very  different  from  the 
Spirits  of  ours,  and  approach  to  them  was  therefore  very 
difficult.  When  Swedenborg  asked  them  if  they  would  take 
a  look  at  our  world  through  his  eyes,  they  declined  the 
pleasure,  saying  first,  that  they  could  not,  and  then,  that  they 
would  not.  In  the  end,  he  persuaded  them  to  witness  a 
representation  of  some  of  the  finest  palaces  of  Europe ;  but 


*  No.  14G. 


ARBOREOUS  ARCHITECTURE. 


527 


they  made  light  of  them,  asserting,  that  on  their  Earth  they 
had  far  more  magnificent  structures  in  living  wood  ;  in  proof 
whereof  they  represented  their  sacred  temples,  which  the 
Spirits  with  Swedenborg  confessed  the  most  wonderful  they 
had  ever  seen. 

These  temples  are  constructed  of  growing  trees,  of  great 
girth  and  height,  planted  in  rows.  By  exquisite  art  in 
twisting  and  pruning,  a  floor  is  made  of  the  lower  branches, 
galleries  of  the  higher  branches,  and  an  arched  roof  of  the 
topmost.  Light  is  admitted  into  the  vast  interiors  through 
windows  of  crystal. 

The  inhabitants  live  isolated  in  households,  but  assemble 
in  public  worship.  On  these  occasions  they  experience 
internal  joy,  excited  by  the  glory  of  the  temple  and  the 
worship.  God,  they  adore  under  a  Human  Form,  conse- 
quently our  Lord.'*  They  are  likewise  instructed  by  inter- 
course with  Spirits  and  Angels. 

They  dwell  in  low,  oblong  cottages  set  in  plains ;  high 
places  they  consecrate  to  the  Lord  alone.  Beds  are  ranged 
like  shelves  round  the  walls.  Opposite  the  door  is  an  alcove 
in  which  stands  a  table,  and  behind  the  table  is  a  fire-place 
wherein  luminous  wood  is  deposited,  which  lights  up  the 
house  as  with  burning  charcoal. 

They  were  asked,  what  was  done  to  the  Wicked  on  their 
Earth.  They  replied,  that  a  wicked  person  is  not  suffered 
to  exist.  Whoever  yields  to  evil,  is  reproved  by  a  certain 
Spirit,  and  threatened  with  death  if  he  persist :  if  then  he 
does  persist,  he  is  taken  off  in  a  swoon.  Thus  their  Earth 
is  preserved  from  pollution. 

A  Fourth  Earth. 

This  Earth  is  one  of  the  smallest  in  the  Universe,  being 
scarcely  250  miles  in  circumference.    Its  year  consists  of 


*  No.  154. 


528 


A   LITTLE  WORLD. 


200  days,  and  its  days  of  15  hours.  Its  Sun  is  only  about  a 
quarter  of  the  size  of  ours. 

The  houses  of  the  people  are  long  and  low,  with  a 
window  for  every  room ;  the  roofs  are  arched,  and  there  is 
a  door  in  each  gable.  It  was  said,  they  are  built  of  earth 
and  covered  with  turf,  and  that  the  windows  arc  closed  with 
a  texture  of  transparent  glass.  Men,  women  and  children] 
were  seen.  The  faces  of  the  women  are  full  and  handsome : 
they  appeared  as  shepherdesses,  and  their  flocks  moved 
wherever  they  pointed  with  their  crooks.  The  sheep  were 
large,  and  had  broad  and  woolly  tails.  Fields  of  corn  ripe 
for  harvest  and  of  grass  with  flowers,  trees  laden  with  fruit, 
like  pomegranates,  and  shrubs  with  berries  from  which  is 
made  wine,  were  also  seen. 

Them  likewise,  Swedenborg  found  confessing  God 
visible  under  a  Human  Form,  and  that  at  times  He  appears 
to  them  as  a  Man  ;  and  in  general  reports  them  as  confirming 
his  own  opinions  on  the  Trinity,  and  complaining  of  the  con- 
fusion induced  in  their  minds  by  Spirits  from  our  Earth, 
who  held  the  common  notions  about  a  tri-personal  Deity. 

With  Angels,  the  Inhabitants  of  that  Earth  hold  such 
easy  and  open  relations,  that  they  converse  with  them  as 
man  with  man  and  only  discover  they  are  Spirits  by  their 
sudden  disappearance  from  the  field  of  vision — 

4 1  told  them,  that  such  was  also  the  case  on  our  Earth 
1  in  Ancient  Times,  as  when  Angels  appeared  to  Abraham, 
1  Sarah,  Lot,  the  people  of  Sodom,  Manoah  and  his  wife, 
1  Joshua,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  and  the  Prophets  ;  and  that  the 
1  Lord  appeared  in  like  manner,  so  that  they  who  saw  Him 
1  knew  no  otherwise,  than  that  He  was  an  ordinary  man  until 
1  He  revealed  Himself;  but  at  this  day  such  appearances  are 
1  rare.'* 


*  No.  100. 


ADVENTUROUS  MONKS. 


529 


A  Fifth  Earth. 

When  he  drew  near  the  Spirits  of  this  Earth,  he  found 
himself  regarded  with  suspicion.  They  had  been  afflicted 
with  the  visits  of  some  Monks,  from  the  World  of  Spirits 
about  our  Earth,  bent  on  the  conversion  of  Gentiles,  and 
who  had  annoyed  them  with  nonsense  about  having  faith  in 
what  they  chose  to  tell  them.  They  had  answered  these 
missionaries,  that  they  did  not  know  what  1  having  faith 
c  meant,'  since  whatever  they  saw  to  be  true,  they  believed 
without  effort :  and  whatever  they  did  not  so  see,  was  incre- 
dible by  any  effort.  Swedenborg  assured  them,  that  they 
had  done  wisely  in  shunning  their  visitors,  1  because  their 
'  intention  was,  not  to  teach,  but  to  secure  gain  and 
'  dominion ;  that  they  study  by  various  arts  to  captivate 
4  men's  minds,  and  then  to  hold  them  soul  and  body  in 
'  slavery. 

4  There  are  Spirits  from  our  Earth,  who  rove  about  like 
L  these  Monks  in  consequence  of  a  passion  for  travelling 
c  acquired  in  the  world :  in  other  Earths  there  is  no  such 
1  custom  of  travelling  as  on  ours.'  * 

The  first  Spirits  of  this  Earth  whom  Swedenborg  encoun- 
tered were  from  its  northern  part,  but  he  was  afterwards 
led  to  some  from  its  western  part — 

4  These  also,  being  desirous  to  know  who  and  what  I  was, 
L  immediately  said,  there  was  nothing  in  me  but  Evil,  think- 
4  ing  thereby  to  deter  me  from  approaching  nearer.  I  was 
4  enabled  to  perceive,  that  this  was  their  manner  of  accosting 
*  all  who  come  to  them  ;  and  it  was  given  me  to  reply,  that 
4 1  well  knew  it  to  be  so,  and  that  in  them  likewise  there 
c  was  nothing  but  Evil,  by  reason  that  every  one  is  born 
c  into  Evil,  and  therefore,  that  whatever  proceeds  from  the 
'  Selfhood  of  Man,  Spirit,  or  Angel  is  nothing  but  Evil,  in* 


*  No.  169. 

2  M 


530 


STRANGE  MARRIAGE  CUSTOMS. 


'  asmuch  as  all  Good  in  every  one  is  from  the  Lord.  Hence 
1  they  discerned  that  I  was  in  the  Truth,  and  felt  free  to 
1  converse  with  me,'  * — whereupon  a  theological  discussion 
ensued  in  which  Swedenborg  found  them  in  full  accord  with 
himself. 

On  that  Earth,  there  is  national  worship  every  thirtieth 
day,  whereat  preachers  discourse  from  pulpits  on  Divine 
truths  which  lead  to  good  life.  Revelations  are  made  to 
preachers  and  others  early  in  the  morning  between  sleeping 
and  waking,  at  which  times  Angels  are  heard  speaking  on 
heavenly  matters.  When  they  awake,  an  Angel  in  white 
is  seen  at  the  bedside  and  suddenly  vanishes,  which  is 
accepted  as  a  sign,  that  what  has  been  heard  is  Divine. 

Their  houses  are  of  wood,  low  and  flat-roofed.  In  the 
front  dwell  husband  and  wife,  in  the  middle,  their  children, 
and  at  the  back,  the  men  and  maid-servants.  They  arc  of 
a  celestial  genius  and  find  the  joy  and  business  of  their  lives 
within  the  family  circle.  They  go  naked,  and  in  their 
innocence  are  ignorant  of  shame. 

Their  Sun  is  of  a  flaming  colour.  The  length  of  their 
year  is  200  days,  and  their  day  equals  9  of  our  hours. 
They  have  perpetual  spring  and  summer — their  fields  are 
ever  green  and  their  trees  in  constant  fruit.  Thev  drink 
milk  with  water,  and  have  it  from  cows  which  are  woolly 
like  sheep. 

Their  marriage  customs  are  curious.  When  a  girl  be- 
comes marriageable,  she  is  kept  closely  at  home,  and  at  a 
certain  time  is  taken  to  a  connubial  house  where  she  is  set 
in  a  row  with  other  virgins  behind  a  screen,  which  reaches 
to  their  waists.  An  old  man  and  an  old  woman  sit  by  to 
preserve  order,  whilst  young  men  in  search  of  wives,  enter 
and  inspect  the  market.  When  one  sees  a  damsel  to  his 
taste,  he  takes  her  by  the  hand  and  leads  her  off  to  his  house 


*  No.  170. 


HOW  SWEDEN BORG  SAW. 


531 


as  his  wife.  No  mistakes  in  choice  are  made,  for  in  that 
world  there  is  no  deceit ;  the  face  is  the  true  picture  of 
the  mind,  and  the  youth  recognizes  his  wife  and  the  virgin 
her  husband  by  a  sure  instinct. 

Thus  ends  Swedenborg's  tour  among  the  Spirits  of  the 
Earths.  What  is  to  be  said  about  it  ?  Do  you  credit  his 
story  ?  asks  a  reader.  I  do  not  see  why  I  should  not.  It 
only  appears  incredible  when  its  conditions  are  kept  out  of 
sight,  and  when  (as  is  commonly  done)  it  is  said,  that  he 
professed  to  visit  the  Moon  and  Planets  bodily — which  he 
expressly  says  he  did  not,  maintaining  in  the  most  explicit 
manner — 

4  That  neither  Spirits  nor  Angels  can  see  anything  on 
4  Earth,  nor  Man,  with  his  bodily  sight,  anything  in  the 
4  Spiritual  World.'* 

Whatever  Swedenborg  might  be,  he  was  no  fool,  and 
perfectly  appreciated  the  natural  objections  which  would  be 
raised  to  his  claim,  and  thus  calmly  and  reasonably  answered 
them — 

4  Knowing  that  many  will  doubt  the  possibility  of  seeing 
4  anything  on  another  Planet,  I  may  state  how  it  is  effected. 
4  Distances  in  the  Spiritual  World  are  altogether  different 
4  from  distances  on  Earth.  In  the  Spiritual  World,  distances 
4  represent  differences  of  character.  Those  who  are  alike, 
4  appear  in  the  same  place ;  those  who  are  unlike,  appear 
4  apart.  Hence  to  be  present  and  converse  with  the  Spirits 
4  of  any  Earth,  it  was  simply  necessary  that  the  Lord  should 
4  induce  such  changes  in  the  state  of  my  mind  as  would  bring 
4  me  into  harmony  with  them.  This  done,  we  at  once 
4  appeared  together.'t 

In  this  manner  he  was  brought  into  contact  with  the 


*  No.  135. 


f  No.  135. 


532 


swedexborg's  sincerity. 


Spirits  of  the  several  Planets  which  he  describes.  Of  one, 
he  writes — 

1 I  was  conducted  thither  by  changes  of  the  state  of  my 
1  mind,  which  continued  for  about  ten  hours  without  inter- 
c  mission.  These  mental  changes  in  the  Spiritual  World 
4  were  in  all  respects  the  same  as  advances  from  place  to 
1  place,  or  as  travelling.  '* 

When  thus  connected  with  the  Spirits,  surrounding  the 
respective  Earths  from  which  they  had  arisen,  he  pursued 
his  advantage  yet  further ;  he  used  their  eyes  with  the  eyes 
of  the  Men  and  Women  with  whom  they  were  associated, 
as  glasses  wherewith  to  view  their  Earths  ;  even  as  he  in 
turn  was  in  the  habit  of  lending  his  eyes  to  Spirits,  as  a 
means  of  renewing  their  acquaintance  with  scenes  and 
persons  from  whom  death  had  divided  them. 

In  a  word,  Swedenborg  says,  he  approached  the  Planets 
from  their  spiritual  side — by  an  inversion  of  the  method  of 
the  astronomer.  It  is  an  explanation  of  the  process  of  his 
knowledge  which,  though  quite  open  to  question,  cannot  be 
dismissed  with  a  sneer. 

Whether  (admitting  at  least  the  plausibility  of  his 
explanation)  his  account  of  the  Earths  is  credible,  is  another 
matter.  That  he  was  himself  sincere — that  he  saw  what  he 
says  he  saw,  and  heard  what  he  says  he  heard — I  regard  as 
beyond  debate  ;  but  the  Spiritual  World  is  by  eminence  the 
land  of  illusions.  According  to  his  own  testimony,  your 
shadow  there  irretrievably  affects  your  experience  :  what 
you  are  you  see.  1  It  is  to  be  well  observed,'  he  remarks  in 
the  book  before  us,  4  that  the  notion  one  holds  on  any  subject 
'  is  in  the  Other  World  reflected  to  the  life.' t  In  tne  lignt 
of  this  truth,  we  must  read  all  his  revelations  about  places 
and  persons  ;  discerning  therein  quite  as  much  of  his  own 
likeness  as  of  the  things  themselves.    It  is  quite  certain, 


*  No.  157;  mc  also  Xo.  16H. 


f  Xo.  158. 


THERE  IS  NO  PLACE  LIKE  HOME. 


533 


that  no  one  else  could  repeat  his  planetary  explorations  and 
render  an  account  in  perfect  agreement  with  his.  His  tour 
had  a  theological  purpose ;  his  itinerary  is  a  report  on  the 
Keligion  of  the  Universe ;  and  everywhere  he  finds  the 
Good  in  accord  with  him :  nor  may  we  feel  surprise  or  offence 
that  it  should  be  so,  for,  Who  is  there,  that  does  not  consider 
his  private  opinions  as  one  with  Wisdom  ? 

Supposing  we  concede  the  reality  of  Swedenborg's  rela- 
tions, how  rudely  they  overturn  our  common  conception  of 
Civilization  !  Beyond  our  Earth  there  are  no  Letters,  no 
Books,  no  Sciences,  no  Travelling,  but  one  placid  unvary- 
ing round  of  domestic  business  and  domestic  joy.  Freedom 
of  thought  and  speech,  which  we  regard  as  the  acme  of 
social  culture,  is  unknown.  Dissenters  are  not  only  tabooed, 
but  punished,  and  if  obstinate,  extinguished.  Not  in  any 
way  do  other  worlds  grow  attractive  under  our  explorer's 
touch.  Grateful  indeed  may  we  be,  that  our  lines  are  cast  in 
our  naughty,  bustling,  superficial  sphere.  Our  place  may 
verily  be  in  the  Skin  of  the  Grand  Man,  but  we  have  no 
desire  to  exchange  it  for  any  other  organ  or  tissue.  "  Good!" 
would  say  our  Author ;  "  and  in  your  content,  behold  the 
"  vindication  of  the  Divine  Love  in  your  creation  and 
"  appointment !" 


END  OF  VOL.  I. 


APPENDIX. 


(    539  ) 


CORRECTION  S. 


Note  L — Swedenborg  at  Upsala. 

Following  too  implicitly  preceding  biographers,  I  have  written  at 
page  30  of  the  present  volume — 

*  In  1709,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Swedenborg  took  the  degree  of 
1  Doctor  of  Philosophy '  at  Upsala. 

Dr.  Kahl  kindly  corrects  me.  He  writes — '  Swedenborg  never  took 
'  this  degree.  He  was  only  a  student  when  he  wrote  his  dissertations  on 
' Seneca,  Publius  Syrus,  etc.  Our  Atterbom  says  somewhere,  that 
'  Swedenborg  was  Doctor  in  Philosophy,  but  it  is  a  mistake.' 


Note  II.— The  Academies  of  Sciences  of  Upsala  and  Stockholm. 

'In  1729  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Stockholm  elected  Swedenborg 
1  a  Member.' — Present  Vol.,  p.  75. 

Here  again  Dr.  Kahl  proves  me  wrong  and  sets  me  right.  For 
Stockholm  read  Upsala.  1  The  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Stockholm  was 
'not  instituted  till  1739,  after  which  date  he  was  elected  a  Member.' 


Note  III.— Swedenborg's  Salary  as  Assessor. 

His  salary  was  1,200  silver  dalers,  which  at  page  113  is  estimated  at 
£44  8s.  10c?.  Here  too  I  owe  a  correction  to  Dr.  Kahl,  who  states — 
'  A  silver  daler  at  that  time  was  worth  about  2s.  6d.  of  English  money ; 
'  therefore  you  may  reckon  his  income  from  the  Assessorsliip  at  £150.' 


(    540  ) 


CATALOGUE  OF  SWEDENBOBG'S  WAITINGS. 

ARRANGED  CHRONOLOGICALLY. 


L.  Annaei  Senecse  et  Pub.  Syri  Mirai,  forsan 
et  aliorum  selectae  sententiae,  cum  annot.  Erasmi 
et  Graeca  versione  Scaligeri  notis  illustratas. 
Quas  cum  consensu  Ampl.  Fac.  Philos.  notis 
illustratas  sub  praesidio  Yiri  Amplissimi  Mag. 
Fabiani  Tomer,  Philos.  Theoret.  Prof.  Reg.  et 
Ord.  publico  examini  modeste  submittit  Eman. 
Svedberg,  in  Audit.  Gustav.  maj.  d.  1  Junii. 
ZJpsalice,  1709. 

Jesperi  Svedbergii,  Doct.  et  Episcopii  Scarensis, 
Parentis  Optimi,  Canticum  Svecicum,  Ungdoms 

o 

Kegel  och  Alderdoms  Spegel  [Instruction  for 
Youth  and  Reflection  for  Old  Age],  ex  Ecclesiast. 
c.  xii.  Latino  Carmine  exhibitum  ab  Em. 
Svedbergio,  filio.    Scaris,  1709. 

Camena  Borea  cum  heroum  et  heroidum  factis 
ludens  :  sive  Fabellae  Ovidianis  similes  sub 
variis  nominibus  scriptae  ab  E.  S.,  Sueco. 
Gryphiswaldice,  1715. 

Ludus  Ileliconius  sive  Carmina  Miscellanea, 
quae  variis  in  locis  cecinit  E.  S. 

Cantus  Sapphicus  in  charissimi  Parentis  diem 
natalem.    Scan's,  1716. 


Daedalus  Hyperboraeus,  eller  nagra  nya  Mathe- 


APPENDIX. 


541 


matiska  och  Phystcaliska  forsok  och  anmarknin- 
garfor  ar  1716  :  som  Velb.  Hr  Assess.  Palheinier 
och  andre  sinrike  i  Sverige  hafve  gjordt  och  nu 
fid  efter  annan  till  allinan  njtta  lenma.  6  Flockar. 
Upsala,  1716-18. 

(The  Northern  D&dalus,  or  some  new  Mathe- 
matical and  Physical  Attempts  and  Observations 
for  the  year  1716  ;  which  Assessor  Polhem  and 
other  ingenious  men  in  Sweden  have  made  and 
published  from  time  to  time  for  the  use  of  the 
public.    6  Parts.) 

Underrattelse  om  thet  fortenta  Stiernesimds 
Arbete,  thes  bruk  och  fortening.  Stockholm,  1717. 

[Information  concerning  the  Manufacture  of 
Tin-plate  at  Stjernsund,  and  its  Use.) 


Kegel-Konsten  forfattad  i  tijo  bocker. 
(The  Art  of  Pules,  in  10  Parts.) 


Upsala. 


vestra  lengden 


Forsok  att  finna  ostra  och 
igenom  Mauan,  som  til  the  Lardas  omprofvande 
frarnstalles.    Upsala,  1718. 

(Attempts  to  find  the  Longitude  by  means  of  the 
Moon,  set  forth  for  the  judgment  of  the  Learned.) 

Om  jordenes  och  planeternes  gang  och  stand: 
thet  ar  nagra  bevisliga  skiil  at  jorden  aftager  i 
sitt  lopp  och  nu  gar  langsammare  an  tilforene; 
gorande  vinter  och  sommar,  dagar  och  natter 
langre,  i  anseende  til  tiden  nu  an  forr.  Skara. 

( On  the  Motion  and  Position  of  the  Earth  and 
Planets,  in  which  are  some  conclusive  proofs  that 
the  Earth's  course  decreases  in  rapidity,  being  now 


542 


APPENDIX. 


slower  than  heretofore,  making  winter  and  summer, 
days  and  nights  longer  in  respect  to  time  now  than 
formerly.) 

Dedicated  to  King  Frederick,  10th  Dec,  1718. 

Om  vatnens  hojd  ocli  fbrra  vcrldens  starka  ebb 
och  flod.    Bevjs  utur  Sverige.  TJpsala. 

( On  the  Level  of  the  Sea  and  the  Strong  Tides 
of  the  Ancient  World.  Proof s  from  Sweden.) 

Dedicated  to  Ulrika  Eleonora  on  her  coro- 
nation day. 

Forslag  till  vart  mynts  och  raals  indelning,  sa 
at  rekningen  kan  liittas  och  alt  Brak  afskaffas. 
Stockholm ,  1719. 

(Proposal  as  to  the  division  of  Honeys  and 
Measures,  in  order  to  facilitate  calculation  and 
avoid  all  fractions.) 

Underrattelse  om  Dockan,  Slyssvercken  och 
Saltverket.  1719. 

(Information  concerning  Doclcs,  Sluices,  and 
Salt- Works.) 

Prodromns  Principiomm  Rermn  Naturalium, 
sive  novorum  tentaininum  Chemiam  et  Physicam 
experimentalem  geometrice  explicandi.  Amste- 
lodami,  1721. 

Nova  Observata  et  Invcnta  circa  Ferrum  et 
Ignem  una  cum  Nova  Camini  inventione.  Amste- 
lodami,  1721. 


Ditto. 


Methodus  Nova  inveniendi  Longitudines  Loco- 


APPENDIX. 


543 


rum,  terra  marique,  ope  Lunse.  Amstelodami, 
1721. 

(Keprinted  in  1766.) 

Artificium  Novum  Mechanicum  Receptacula 
Navalia,  vulgo  Dok  appellata,  construendi. 
Amstelodami,  1721. 

Nova  Constructio  Aggeiis  sive  Moliminis 
Aquatici.    Amstelodami,  1721. 

Modus  Mechanice  Explorandi  Virtu tes  et  Qua- 
litates  diversi  generis,  et  Constructions  Xavi- 
giorum.    Amstdodami,  1721. 

This  set  of  treatises,  published  at  Amsterdam 
in  1721,  was  re-issued  in  English  by  the  Sweden- 
borg  Association  as — 

Some  Specimens  of  a  Work  on  the  Principles  of 
Chemistry,  ivith  other  Treatises.  Translated  from 
the  Latin,  with  Introductory  Remarks,  Biblio- 
graphical Notices,  Index,  &c,  by  Charles  Edward 
Strutt,  Member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons 
of  Edinburgh,  and  dedicated,  by  permission,  to 
the  Baron  Berzelius.  Illustrated  with  21  Plates. 
London,  1847. 

Oforgripelige  tankar  om  Svenska  myntets 
fornedring  och  forhogning.    Stockholm,  1722. 

( On  the  Depreciation  and  Rise  of  the  Swedish 
Currency.) 


Miscellanea  Observata  circa  res  naturales  et 
prasertim  circa  Mineralia,  Ignem  et  Montium 
Strata.    Lipsias,  1722. 


544 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Tlace 
of  Publication. 


(In  3  Parts. 

Bonde.) 


Dedicated  to  Count  Gustavus 


Miscellaneoruin  Observationum  circa  Mineralia, 
Ferrum  et  Stalactites  in  Cavernis  Bauinannianis. 
Naupotami,  1722. 

(Fourth  Part.  Dedicated  to  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick.) 

The  four  Parts  were  re-issued  with  other 
Papers  by  the  Swedenborg  Association  as — 

Miscellaneous  Observations  connected  with  the 
Physical  Sciences ;  with  an  Appendix  containing 
Sicedenborg' 's  Papers  from  the  Acta  Literaria 
Svecioe.  Translated  from  the  Latin,  with  Intro- 
ductory Remarks,  .Bibliographical  Notices,  and 
Index  of  Subjects,  by  C.  E.  Strutt.  Illustrated 
with  9  Plates.    London,  1847. 

Opera  Philosophica  et  Mineralia.   Tres  Tomi : 

Tom.  L — Principia  Rerum  Naturalium  sive 
Xovorum  Tentaminum  Phenomena  Mundi  Ele- 
mentaris  Philosophice  Explicandi. 

Tom.  II. — Regnuin  Subterraneum  sive  Mine- 
rale  de  Ferro  deque  Modis  Liquationum  Fcrri 
per  Europam  passim  in  usum  receptis  ;  deque 
conversione  ferri  crudi  in  chalybem  :  de  vena 
ferri  et  probatione  ejus ;  pariter  de  chymicis 
praeparitis  et  cum  ferro  et  victriolo  ejus  factis 
experimentis. 

Tom.  III. — Regnum  Subterraneum  sive  Mine- 
rale  de  Cupro  et  Orichalco  modis  liquationum 
cupri  per  Europam  passim  in  usum  receptis :  de 
secretione  ejus  ab  argento :  de  conversione  in 
Orichalcum :  inque  Mctalla  divcrsi  generis  :  de 


APPENDIX. 


545 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 

Lapide  Calaminari :  de  Zinco  :  de  Vena  Cupri  et 
probatione  ejus  :  pariter  de  chymicis  praeparatis, 
et  cum  cupro  factis  experhnentis,  &c,  &c.  Cum 
figuris  aeneis.    Dresdce  et  Lipsice,  1734. 

The  first  volume  was  re-issued  by  the  Sweden- 
borg  Association  in  two  volumes  as — 

The  Principia  ;  or,  the  First  Principles  of 
Natural  Things ;  being  New  Attempts  toward  a 
Philosophical  Explanation  of  the  Elementary 
World.  Translated  from  the  Latin,  with  Intro- 
ductory Remarks,  Index,  &c,  by  the  Rev. 
Augustus  Clissold,  A.M.    London,  1845-46. 

Dresden  and       Prodromus  Philosophic Ratiocinantis  delnfinito 
L1734.C'       e^  Causa  Finali  Creationis:  deque  Mechanismo 
Operationis   Animae   et   Corporis.     Dresdce  et 
Lipsice,  1734. 

Re-issued  by  the  Swedenborg  Association  as — 
The  Philosophy  of  the  Infinite  ;  or,  Outlines  of 
a  Philosophical  Argument  on  the  Infinite,  and  the 
Final  Cause  of  Creation ;  and  on  the  Intercourse 
between  the  Soul  and  the  Body.  Translated  from 
the  Latin  by  James  John  Garth  Wilkinson,  with 
an  Introduction  and  Index  of  Subjects.  London, 
1847. 

Amsterdam,  (Economia  Regni  Animalis  in  Transactiones 
divisa:  quarum  haec  prima  de  Sanguine,  ejus 
Arteriis,  Venis  et  Corde  agit :  Anatomice,  Physice 
et  Philosophice  perlustrata.  Cui  accedit  Intro- 
ductio  ad  Psychologiam  Rationalem.  Amstelo- 
dami,  1741. 


Ditto. 


(Economia  Regni  Animalis  in  Transactiones 


546 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Pbice 
of  Publication. 


London, 
1745. 


divisa :  quarum  ha?c  secunda  de  Cerebri  Motu  et 
Cortice  et  de  Anima  Humana  agit :  Anatomice, 
Physice  et  Philosophice  perlustrata.  Amstelodami, 
1741. 

Re-issued  in  two  volumes  by  the  Swedenborg 
Association  as — 

The  Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom  ;  con- 
sidered Anatomically,  Physically  and  Philosophi- 
cally. Translated  from  the  Latin  by  the  Rev. 
Augustus  Clissold,  AJL,  and  edited,  with  Intro- 
ductory Remarks,  Indexes,  Bibliographical 
Notices,  ecc,  by  James  John  Garth  Wilkinson, 
Member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of 
London.    London,  1846. 

Regnum  Animale  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philo- 
sophice perlustratum  ;  cujus  Pars  Prima.  De 
Yisceribus  Abdominis  seu  de  Organis  Regionis 
Inferioris  agit.    Hago?  Comitum,  1744. 

Regnum  Animale  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philo- 
sophice perlustratum  ;  cujus  Pars  Secunda.  De 
Yisceribus  Thoracis  seu  de  Organis  Regionis 
Superioris  agit.    Hagai  Comitum,  1744. 

Regnum  Animale  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philo- 
sophice perlustratum  ;  cujus  Pars  Tertia.  De 
Cute,  Sensu  Tactus,  et  Gustus ;  et  de  Formis 
Organicis  in  Genere,  agit.  Londini,  1745. 
Re-issued  in  English  in  two  volumes  as — 
The  Animal  Kingdom,  considered  Anatomically, 
Physically,  and  Philosophically.  Translated  from 
the  Latin,  with  Introductory  Remarks,  Indexes, 
Bibliographical  Notices,  &c.,  by  James  John 
Garth  Wilkinson.    London,  18-13-44. 


APPENDIX. 


547 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 


De  Cultu  et  Amore  Dei;  ubi  agitur  de 
Telluris  Ortu,  Paradiso  et  Vivario,  turn  de  Primo- 
geniti  seu  Adami  Novitate,  Infantia  et  Amore. 
Londini,  1745. 

Pars  II. — De  Conjugio  Adami,  et  de  Anima, 
Mente  Intellectuali,  Statu  Integritatis,  et  Imagine 
Dei.    Londini,  1745. 


POSTHUMOUS  WRITINGS 


Composed  before  1745. 
Itinerarium  (1733).    Tubingce,  1840. 

Ditto  (1710-14,  1721-22,  1733-34,  1736-39), 
Stuttgardice,  1844. 

Kegnum  Animale  Anatomice,  Physice  et 
Philosophice  perlustratum  cujus  Pars  IV. — 
De  Carotidibus,  de  Sensu  Olfactus,  Auditus  et 
Visus,  de  Sensatione  et  Affection  e  in  Genere,  ac 
de  Intellectu  et  ejus  Operatione  agit.  Tubingce, 
1848. 


Kegnum  Animale  Anatomice,  Physice  et  Philo- 
sophice perlustratum.  Cujus  supplementum  sive. 
Par  VI.  Sect.  I. — De  Periosteo  et  de  Mammis 
agit.  Sect.  II. — De  Generatione,  de  Partibus 
Genitalibus  Utriusque  Sexus,  et  de  Formatione 
Foetus  in  Utero  agit.    Tubingce,  1849. 

This  last  volume  has  been  translated  into 
English  by  Dr.  Garth  Wilkinson  as — 

The  Generative  Organs,  considered  Anatomi- 


548 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 


cally,  Physically,  and  Philosophically.  London, 
185-2. 


Pegnuni  Animale  Anatomice,  Physice,  et 
Philosophice  perlustratum  ;  cujus  Pars  VII.  de 
Anima  agit.    Tubinga?,  1849. 

Opuscula  quaedam  ArgumentiPhilosophi.  Nunc 
primum  edidit  Jac.  Job.  Gartb  "Wilkinson.  Lon- 
dini,  1846. 

Translated  as  follows  : — 

Posthumous  Tracts. —  The  Way  to  a  Knowledge 
of  the  Soul. — Faith  and  Good  Works. —  Tlie  Bed 
Blood. —  The  Animal  Spirit*- — Sensation,  or  the 
Passion  of  the  Body. —  The  Origin  and  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Soul. — Action. — Fragment  on  the  Soul, 
and  the  Harmony  between  it  and  the  Body.  Now 
first  translated  from  tbe  Latin  by  J.  J.  Garth 
Wilkinson.    London,  1847. 

There  yet  remain  in  manuscript  many  of 
Swedenborg's  physiological  studies ;  among  them 
a  work  on  the  Brain  of  upwards  of  a  thousand 
pages. 

Clavis  Hieroglyphica  Arcanorum  Naturalium 
et  Spiritualium  per  Yiam  repraesentationum  ct 
correspondentiarum.    Londini,  1784. 

Printed  by  Hindmarsh  from  the  original 
manuscript. 

An  Hieroglyphic  Key  to  Natural  and  Sjjiritual 
Mysteries  by  way  of  Representations  and  Corre- 
spondences. Translated  and  published  by  Robert 
Hindmarsh.    London,  1792. 


(   549  ) 


SPIRITUAL  AND  THEOLOGICAL  WRITINGS. 


(With  the  titles  and  prices  of  the  English  editions  published  by  the 
Swedenborg  Society,  Bloomsbury  Street,  London.) 


Arcana  Coelestia  quae  in  Scriptura  Sacra  seu 
Yerbo  Domini  sunt  detecta :  Hie  Primum  quae 
in  Genesi.  Una  cum  Mirabilibus  quae  visa  sunt 
in  Mundo  Spirituum  et  in  Ccelo  Angelorum. 

Pars  I. — 1749.  Pars  IV.— 1752. 

Pars  II.— 1750.         Pars  V.— 1753. 

Pars  III.— 1751. 

Arcana  Coelestia  quae  in  Scriptura  Sacra,  seu 
Verbo  Domini  sunt  detecta.  Hie  quae  in 
Exodo,  &c. 

Pars  I.— 1753.  Pars  III.— 1756. 

Pars  II.— 1754. 

Arcana  Coelestia :  the  Heavenly  Mysteries  con- 
tained in  the  Holy  Scripture,  or  Word  of  the 
Lord,  unfolded  in  an  Exposition  of  Genesis  and 
Exodus:  together  with  a  Relation  of  Wonderful 
Things  seen  in  the  World  of  Spirits  and  in  the 
Heaven  of  Angels.  12  vols.,  As.  each.  Index  hi 
2  vols.,  20^. 

De  Ccelo  et  ejus  Mirabilibus,  et  de  Inferno,  ex 
Auditis  et  Visis.    Londini,  1758. 

Heaven  and  Hell ;  also,  the  Intermediate  State, 
or  World  of  Spirits  :  a  Relation  of  Tilings  heard 
and  seen.  3s. ;  or,  with  Preface  by  Hartley  of 
Winwick,  3s.  6d. 

De  Telluribus  in  Mundo  nostro  Solari,  quae 


550 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 


vocantur  Planetae:  et  de  Telluribus  in  Coelo 
Astrifero :  deque  illarum  incolis  ;  turn  de  Spiri- 
tibus  et  Angelis  ibi ;  ex  Auditis  et  Visis. 
Londini,  1758. 

On  the  Earths  in  our  Solar  System,  and  on  the 
Earths  in  the  Starry  Heavens:  with  an  account  of 
their  inhabitants,  and  also  of  the  Spirits  and 
Angels  there;  from  what  has  been  heard  and 
seen.  Sd. 

De  Ultimo  Judicio,  et  de  Babylonia  Destruct a : 
ita  quod  omnia,  quae  in  Apocalypsi  praedicta  sunt, 
hodie  impleta  sint :  Ex  Auditis  et  Yisis.  Lon- 
dini, 1758. 

The  Last  Judgement  and  the  Destruction  of 
Babylon,  shewing  that  all  the  Predictions  in  the 
Revelation  are  at  this  day  fulfilled:  being  a 
Relation  of  Things  heard  and  seen.  Sd. 

De  Nova  Hierosolyma  et  ejus  Doctrina  Coelesti : 
ex  Auditis  e  Coelo.  Quibus  praemittitur  aliquid  de 
Novo  Coelo  et  Nova  Terra.    Londini,  1758. 

On  the  New  Jerusalem  and  its  Heavenly 
Doctrine,  according  to  what  has  been  heard  from 
Heaven;  to  ichieh  is  prefixed  information  respect- 
ing  the  New  Heaven  and  the  New  Earth.  2s. 

De  Equo  Albo  de  quo  in  Apocalypsi,  Cap. 
XIX.  Et  dein  de  Yerbo  et  ejus  Sensu  Spirituali 
seu  Interno,  ex  Arcanis  Coelestibus.  Londini, 
1758. 

On  the  White  Horse,  mentioned  in  the  Revela- 
tion, Chap,  xix.,  with  jmrticulars  respecting  the 
Word,  and  its  Sptiritual  Sense,  extracted  from  the 
Arcana  Coelestia.  Ad. 


APPENDIX. 


551 


Doctrina  Novas  Hierosolymae  de  Domino. 
Amstelodami,  1763. 

The  Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  respecting 
the  Lord.  To  which  are  Answers  to  Questions 
on  the  Trinity,  proposed  by  the  late  Rev. 
T.  Hartley,  A.M.  Is. 

Doctrina  Nova  Hierosolymae  de  Scriptura 
Sacra.    Amstelodami,  1763. 

The  Doctrine  of  the  Neio  Jerusalem  respecting 
the  Sacred  Scripture.  \s. 

Doctrina  Yitae  pro  Nova  Hierosolyma  ex  Prae- 
ceptis  Decalogi.    Amstelodami,  1763. 

The  Doctrine  of  Life  for  the  New  Jerusalem 
from  the  Commandments  of  the  Decalogue.  6d. 

Doctrina  Novae  Hierosolymae  de  Fide.  Am- 
stelodami,  1763. 

The  Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  respecting 
Faith.  4d. 

Continuatio  de  Ultimo  Judicio :  et  de  Mundo 
Spirituals    Amstelodamij  1763. 

Included  in  the  English  edition  of  the  Last 
Judgement. 

Sapientia  Angelica  de  Divino  Amore  et  de 
Divina  Sapientia.    Amstelodami1  1763. 

Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine  Love 
and  the  Divine  Wisdom.  2s. 


Sapientia  Angelica  de  Divina  Providentia. 
Amstelodami,  1764. 


552 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Place 

of  Publication. 


Amsterdam. 
1768. 


Amsterdam, 
1769. 


London, 
1769. 


Amsterdam, 
1771. 


Amsterdam,  i 
1766. 


Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence. 3*. 

Apocalvpsis  Revelata  in  qua  deteguntur  Ar- 
cana quae  ibi  praedicta  sunt,  et  hactenu3  recondita 
latuerunt.    Amstelodami,  1766. 

T?ie  Apocalypse  Revealed ;  in  which  are  dis- 
closed the  Arcana  therein  foretold.    2  Vols.  Ss. 

Delitiae  Sapiential  de  Amore  Conjugiali ;  post 
quas  sequuntur  Voluptates  Insaniae  de  Amore 
Scortatorio.    Ab  Emanuele  Swedenborg,  Sueco. 

Amstelodami,  1768. 

Conjugial  Love  and  its  Chaste  Delights;  also 
Adulterous  [Scortatory  is  not  necessarily  Adul- 
terous] Love  and  its  Insane  Pleasures.  As. 

Summario  Expositio  Doctrinae  Xovae  Ecclesiae 
quae  per  Xovam  Hierosolvmara  in  Apocalypsi 
intelligitur.  Ab  Emanuele  Swedenborg,  Sueco. 
Amstelodami,  1769. 

A  Brief  Exposition  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Xew 
Church,  signified  by  the  New  Jerusalem  in  the 
Revelation.  lOd. 

De  Commercio  Animae  et  Corporis,  quod  credi- 
tur  fieri  vel  per  Influxum  Physicum,  vel  per 
Influx um  Spiritualem,  vel  per  Harmoniam  Prae- 
stabilitam.    Londini,  1769. 

The  Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the  Body, 
which  is  supposed  to  take  place  either  hy  Physical 
Influx,  or  by  Spiritual  Influx,  or  by  Pre-established 
Harmony.  4d. 

Vera  Christiana  Religio,  continens  Universam 
Theologian!   Novae   Ecclesiae  a   Domino  apud 


APPENDIX. 


553 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication, 


Danielem,  cap.  vii.  13, 14 ;  et  in  Apocalypsi,  cap. 
xxi.  1,  2,  praedictas.  Ab  Emanuele  Swedenborg, 
Domini  Jesu  Christi  Servo.   Amstelodami,  1771. 

The  True  Christian  Religion ;  or  the  Universal 
Theology  of  the  New  Church  ;  foretold  by  the  Lord 
in  Daniel  vii.  13,  14 ;  and  in  the  Apocalypse  xxi. 
1,2.  7s, 


POSTHUMOUS  WHITINGS. 

Svedenborg's  Drommar  1744,  jemte  andra  hans 
anteckningar.  Efter  original-handskrifter  Med- 
delade  af  G.  E.  Klemming.    Stockholm,  1859. 

{Swedenborg 's  Dreams  in  1744,  together  with 
some  other  Memoranda  of  his.  Edited  from  the 
Original  by  G.  E.  Klemming.) 

Owing  to  the  character  of  some  of  the  entries, 
Mr.  Klemming  only  printed  100  copies  of  this  Diary. 


Adversaria  in  Libros  Testamenti.  E  chiro- 
grapho  ejus  in  Bibliotheca  Regiae  Academies 
Holmiensis  asservato. 


Pars  I.- 


-Vol.  L 
IL 
III. 
IV. 


Genesis. 


Tubingce,  1847. 
„  1848. 
„  1851. 
Genesis  et  Exodus. 

Tubingce,  1852. 
Exodus.         „  1853. 
„  „  1854. 

Pars  II. — Continens  Josuam,  Judices,  Ruth, 
Samuelem,  Reges  et  Chronica.    Tubingce,  1842. 

Pars  III. — Continens  Leviticum,  Numeros  et 
Deuteronomium.  Tubing w,  1842. 

2  o 


V. 
VI. 


554 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 


#  1747,  with 
intermissions 
to  17C4. 


Pars  IV. — Continens  Jesajam  et  Jeremiam. 

St>/tf<jardi(i')  1843. 

Eman.  Swedenborgii  Diarii  Spiritualis.  E  dhir 
rographo  ejus  in  Bibliothcca  Regia?  Universitati* 
Upsaliensis  asservato. 

Pars  L— Vol.  I.  Tubing*,  1844.  Vol.  TI.  1845. 

E  chirographo  ejus  in  Bibliotheca  Regiae  Aca- 
demic Ilohniensis  asservato. 


Pars  II. 
III. 

IV. 
V. 

VI. 
VII. 


Vol.  I. 

Vol.  I. 
n  II- 

Vol.  I. 
„  II. 
Sect.  III. 


StuttgardUB,  1843. 

1844. 

Tularin;  1843. 
n  1846. 

1847. 
„  1  ^4-3. 

1846. 
„  1854. 

1859. 


Continens  Xarratiunculas  de  Vitis  Horainum  in 
Diario  E.  Swedenborgii  commemoratornm ;  quibus 
adjecta  est  Genealogia  Familia?  Nobilis  Swedenbor- 
giae.  Auctore  Achat  io  Kahl,  Archidiacono  Templi 
Lundensis ;  etc. 

Sect.  IV.      TMmga,  1860. 

Continens  opusculum  posthuraum  de  Conjugio. 

Two  volumes  of  tlie  Diary  have  been  translated 
into  English — Part  I.  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Smith-on 
of  Manchester,  and  Part  II.  by  the  Rev.  George 
Bush  of  New  York.  Their  enterprise  met  with  little 
encouragement.  Indeed  a  leading  member  of  the 
New  Jerusalem  Church  openly  expre»ed  the  wish, 
that  the  manuscript  of  the  Diary  in  transit  from 
Sweden  to  Germany  had  been  sunk  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea. 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 


APPENDIX. 


555 


Index  Biblicus  sive  Thesaurus  Bibliorum  Em- 
blematicus  et  AHegoricus. 

Vol.   L — Tubingce. — 1859. 
n.         „  I860. 
III.  „         1863.    In  progress. 


Apocalvpsis  Explicata  secundum  Sensum  Spi- 
ritualem ;  ubi  Eevelantur  Arcana,  quad  ibi  pra3- 
dicta,  et  hactenus  recondita  fuerunt.  Londini, 
typis  Eoberti  Hindmarsh,  No.  32,  Clerkenwell 
Close.  Vol.  I.— 1785.  Vol.  II.— 1786.  Vol. 
III.— 1788.    Vol.  IV.-1789. 

^The  Apocalypse  Explained  according  to  the 
Spiritual  Sense  :  in  which  are  revealed  the  Arcana 
which  are  there  predicted,  and  which  have  hitherto 
been  deeply  concealed.    6  Vols.    4s.  each. 


Sumniaria  Expositio  Sensus  Interni  Prophet- 
arum  et  Psalinorum  Davidis.    Londini,  1784. 

A  Summary  Exposition  of  the  Internal  Sense 
of  the  Prophets  and  Psalms.  Is. 

Quaestiones  Xovem  de  Trinitate,  etc.,  ad 
Emanuelem  Swedenborg  propositi  a  Thoma 
Hartley  ;  turn  illius  responsa.    Londini,  1785. 

These  Questions  and  Answers  are  printed  as  an 
Appendix  to  the  English  edition  of  the  Doctrine  of 
the  Lord. 

Dicta  Probanda  Veteris  et  Novi  Testamenti 
collecta  et  breviter  explicata.    Tubingce,  1845. 


De  Domino  et  de  Athanasii  Symbolo.  Lon- 
dinij  1840. 

2  0  2 


556 


APPENDIX. 


Date  and  Place 
of  Publication. 


Doctrina  Novae  Ilierosolymae  dc  Charitatc. 
Londuitj  1840. 

Canones,  seu  Integra  Theologia,  Nova?  Ec- 
clesise.  De  Deo  Uno  et  Infinite  De  Domino 
Redemptore ;  et  de  Redemptione.  De  Spiritu 
Sancto.    De  Divina  Trinitate.    Londini,  1840. 


Had  these  in 
hand  before 
his  death, 
1772. 


Coronis  seu  Appendix  ad  Veram  Christianem 
Religionem. 

Invitatio  ad  Novam  Ecclesiam. 

Printed  by  Dr.  Tafel,  in  Part  VIL,  Vol.  L,  of 
Spiritual  Diary .  • 

The  Coronis  or  Appendix  to  the  True  Christian 
Religion,  treating  of  the  Four  Churches  on  this 
Earth  since  Creation.  Sd. 


Any  corrections  or  additions  to  this  list  will  be  thank- 
fully received  by 

W.  W. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Abraham,  matter-of-fact  Biblical  his- 
tory begins  with,  i,  327 ;  derived 
from  Heber,  a  degenerate  stock  of 
the  Ancient  Church,  348 ;  immediate 
ancestors  idolators,  348 ;  led  from 
idolatry  to  the  worship  of  God 
Schaddai ;  in  him  the  Jewish  Church 
began,  349. 

Abrege  des  Ouvrages  d'  Em.  Sweden- 
borg, i,  231. 

Abstraction,  in,  Men  appear  in  the 
Spiritual  World,  i,  266. 

Acquisitiveness,  lives  governed  by, 
ii,  152. 

Action  and  Reaction  pervade  the 
Universe,  i,  90. 

Actives  and  Passives,  i,  90,  161. 

Adam,  birth  from  an  egg  in  Paradise, 
i,  165  ;  education,  167  ;  Eve  hatched 
and  introduced  to  him,  170. 

Adam,  not  an  individual  but  the  Most 
Ancient  Church,  which  was  evolved 
from  a  race  that  lived  as  beasts, 

i,  328;  its  fall  began  in  the  notion 
of  independence,  ii,  112. 

Adam,  Eve  taken  out  of  him:  expla- 
nation of  the  allegory,  ii,  368. 

Adamic  Heavens,  i,  338. 

Adamites  did  not  eat  the  flesh  of  ani- 
mals, ii,  577. 

Admiralty,  Swedenborg  before  the 
Board  of  Longitude    in  London, 

ii,  327. 

Adulteries,  varieties  of,  ii,  409. 
Adulterous  Love  can  only  be  under- 
stood from  Conjugial  Love,  ii,  407. 


Adultery  a  synonym  for  Hell,  ii,  408, 
412 ;  the  Wicked  see  no  difference 
between  it  and  Marriage,  408. 

Advent,  end  and  method  of  the  Lord's, 
i,  370;  its  two  grand  purposes,  ii, 
106. 

Advent,  the  Lord's  second:  He  cannot 
come  again  in  person,  ii,  565 ;  He 
makes  His  Advent  in  the  revelation 
of  the  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Word, 
566 ;  and  in  the  truths  revealed  by 
Swedenborg,  i,  286;  ii,  572. 

Adversaria  on  the  Old  Testament, 
i,  249 ;  quoted,  288,  295. 

Africa,  a  Church  in,  ii,  19. 

Africans,  the  most  intelligent  of  the 
Gentiles,  ii,  9;  worship  God  as  a 
Man,  204;  most  beloved  of  the 
Gentiles  in  Heaven,  482 ;  Sweden  • 
borg  converses  with,  482  ;  truths  of 
the  New  Church  diffused  among,  483. 

Agnes,  St.,  ii,  455. 

Air,  the  fourth  Element,  compressed 

becomes  Water,  i,  90,  128. 
Algebra,  book  on,  by  Swedenborg, 

i,  60. 

Alleine's  Alarm,  ii,  557  ». 
Alms-giving,  ii,  163,  549;  discouraged 

by  Swedenborg,  344. 
Allston,  evil  thoughts,  ii,  293. 
Analysis,  or  Induction,  proceeds  from 

Experience  to  Causes,  i,  152 ;  and 

builds  not  in  air,  but  on  the  solid 

earth,  154. 
Ancients,  the,  thought  of  God  as  a 

Man,  ii,  204. 


558 


INDEX  To  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Angels,  Jesper  Svedberg's :  an  Angel 
consorted  with  him,  i,  I  ;  another 
directed  his  studies,  3  ;  language  of 
Angels,  6;  a  hoax,  24. 

Angels,  bred  on  Earth,  i,  145;  a  kind 
of  intelligent  gases,  166  ;  debate 
with  Adam's  soul,  169. 

Angels,  all,  were  once  Men,  i,  475 ; 
Angels  and  Men  are  one  Man,  459, 
ii,  5,  130,  668  ;  invested  in  the  purer 
substances  of  Nature,  i,  258,  262  ; 
know  as  little  of  Men  as  Men  do  of 
them,  460 ;  united  to  Man  by  the 
Word,  463. 

Angels,  the  Lord  constantly  before 
them,  i,  427 ;  however  they  turn 
they  behold  the  Spiritual  Sun,  ii, 
208;  their  relations  to  the  Sun,  i, 
426;  their  circumstances  minutely 
represent  their  thoughts  and  affec- 
tions, i,  261;  ii,  539;  times  and 
seasons,  i,  428 ;  time,  429 ;  space, 
431;  travelling,  260;  homes,  432: 
palaces,  433  ;  garments,  438 ;  power, 
438  ;  and  equal  to  their  reception  of 
Divine  Truth.  439 ;  one  can  put  to 
flight  a  troop  of  infernals,  ii,  541 ; 
their  exceeding  wisdom,  i,  440; 
worship,  445 ;  innocence,  448  ;  peace, 
451  ;  happiness,  451  ;  each  happy  to 
his  full  degree,  ii,  244 ;  govern- 
ments, i,  471  ;  employments,  473. 

Angels,  their  language  spontaneous, 
i,  454 ;  in  speech  they  get  rid  of 
time,  space,  and  person,  ii,  133; 
converse  with  Man  in  his  own 
tongue,  i,  456-59;  write  spontane- 
ously, 464;  writings  and  books, 
464. 

Angels,  all  Infants  become,  i,  466 ; 
nursed  by  women  who  love  them, 
466;  a  girl's  school,  407  ;  a  third  of 
Heaven  from  Infants.  ;  (i<  utiles 
received  into  Heaven,  468. 


Angels  cluster  in  Societies  according 
to  character,  i,  414;  natural  affinities 

perish  after  death,  415. 

Angels  are  perfect  men  and  women, 
i,  434 ;  but  smaller  than  on  earth, 
260 ;  their  beauty,  435 ;  marriages, 
436  ;  an  angelic  wedding,  ii,  354 ; 
description  of  a  couple  from  the 
inmost  Heaven,  405  ;  man  and  wife 
in  Heaven  called  one  Angel ;  enjoy 
sexual  intercourse,  but  have  no 
children,  i,  435  ;  ii,  360. 

Angels  do  not  love  the  Lord  as  Person 
but  as  Goodness,  ii,  169  ;  cannot  say 
three  Gods,  529 ;  utterly  reject  the 
tenet,  that  the  Understanding  is  to 
be  subject  to  Faith,  i,  274;  ii,  180; 
no  two  perfectly  agreed  in  opinion, 
ii:  644. 

Angels  defined,  i,  477  ;  their  love  and 
wisdom  the  Lord  in  them,  ii,  243 ; 
every  Angel  based  in  Self-Live  and 
therefore  includes  a  Devil,  ii,  241, 
288,  553  ;  govern  the  Hells,  i,  498  ; 
Devils  as  seen  by  them,  492. 

Angels,  Celestial,  the  Cardiac  Kingdom 
of  Heaven,  ii,  230 ;  their  charac- 
teristics, i,  417-419;  have  the  keen- 
est sensation  of  independent  life,  aud 
the  clearest  knowledge  that  they  live 
from  God,  ii,  239;  their  loveliness 
i,  436  ;  go  naked,  438  ;  present  with 
Man  in  infancy,  ii,  1ST;  present  in 
the  Celestial  Sense  of  Scripture,  131 ; 
love  butter,  i,  296 ;  ii,  577. 

Angels,  Natural,  their  characteristics, 
i,  417  ;  the  simple  were  attached  to 
the  Jewish  Church,  369. 
i  Angels.  Spiritual,  the  Pulmonic  King- 
dom of  He  iven.  ii.  230  ;  their  charac- 
teristics, i,  417-419;  present  with 
Man  in  childhood,  ii,  1S7  ;  present 
in  the  Spiritual  S-nse  of  Scripture, 
131  ;  love  milk,  i,  296;  ii.  077 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


559 


Animal  Kingdom  (Regnum  Animale) 
published,  i,  120 ;  reviewed,  149-1 56 ; 
unfinished,  155  ;  Emerson's  opinion, 
180 ;  unnoticed  by  the  public,  243  ; 
how  Swedenborg  advanced  on  it,  ii, 
662  ;  yet  some  of  his  revelations 
therein  anticipated,  665. 

Auimals  bred  from  Plants,  i,  163. 

Animals,  distinction  between  Man  and, 
ii,  470,  558;  their  will  and  intellect 
cohere,  and  their  life  may  be  com- 
pared to  that  of  a  sleep-walker,  471 ; 
not  immortal,  472. 

Animal  Spirits,  met  Swedenborg's 
notion  of  the  Soul,  i,  132 ;  consist  of 
Second  Finites  or  the  First  Element, 
135  ;  reside  within  the  White  Blood, 
135,  138 ;  the  Brain  their  organ, 
and  the  Nerves  their  conduits,  138 ; 
diffused  over  the  whole  Body,  139; 
their  vortical  motion,  140 ;  not  the 
Soul,  but  the  Soul's  organ,  140,  146; 
survive  death,  143. 

Animal  Spirits,  are  impure  in  those 
who  eat  gross  and  impure  food,  ii, 
577. 

Anna,  Empress  of  Russia,  ii,  89. 

Anne,  Queen  of  England,  i,  32,  247. 

Antediluvians,  Hells  of,  i,  336. 

Anthropomorphism,  i,  275. 

Anti-Jacobin,  on  Creation,  i,  172  n. 

Antipodes,  Heaven  and  Hell  are,  i,  486, 
ii,  241 ;  proved  by  the  appearance  of 
Devils  from  Heaven,  i,  492  ;  Hell 
governed  by  the  opposition,  498 ; 
hence  results  equilibrium,  501. 

Apocalypse,  its  exposition  promised, 
ii,  14;  commanded  by  a  voice  from 
Heaven,  15 ;  a  prophetic  description 
of  the  Last  Judgement  of  1757,  310; 
the  story  of  the  trial  and  victory  of 
goodness  in  every  heart,  311. 

Apocalypse  Explained  {Apocalypsis  Ex- 
plicata)  noticed,  ii,  309;  unfinished, 


309  ;  superior  to  Apocalypse  Revealed, 
310;  translated  into  English  by  Rev. 
Wm.  Hill,  597. 

Apocalypse  Revealed,  {Apocalypsis  Re- 
velata),  reviewed,  ii,  309-323  ;  trans- 
lated into  English  by  Dr.  Tucker, 
597. 

Apollo,  ii,  51. 

Apostles,  each  received  the  same  Spirit, 
but  manifested  it  according  to  his 
character,  ii,  544. 

Apostles,  the  Twelve,  sent  to  Sweden- 
borg by  the  Lord,  ii,  547  ;  preach 
the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  in 
the  Spiritual  World,  568. 

Apostolic  Word :  difference  between  it 
and  the  Word,  ii,  323,  325. 

Appearances,  in  the  Word,  i,  360-362  ; 
not  to  be  mistaken  for  truths,  ii, 
127 ;  confirmed  become  fallacies, 
210;  Man  appears  to  live  of  himself, 
ii,  239;  his  independence  a  mere 
appearance,  251. 

Approbation,  Love  of,  life  governed  by, 
ii,  151. 

Arcana  Ccelestia,  written  and  published, 
i,  310-320  ;  reviewed,  325-381 ;  trans- 
lated into  English  by  Rev.  John 
Clowes,  ii,  597 ;  Spirits  of  Mercury 
pronounce  it  superficial  and  common- 
place, i,  507  ;  read  in  Heaven,  ii, 
478  n. 

Arhusia,  Christina,  third  wife  of  Bishop 
Svedberg,  i,  60. 

Arianism,  a  damnable  heresy,  ii,  544 ; 
would  have  destroyed  the  Church 
had  not  the  Council  of  Nice  sanctioned 
the  doctrine  of  tri-personalism,  115, 
280,  542,  544. 

Aristotle,  fancied  the  Universe  infinite, 
i,  101 ;  the  notion  refuted,  102  ;  cited 
in  proof,  that  life  is  the  action  of 
God,  and  that  His  presence  is  im- 
mortality, 146 ;  taught  that  the  Soul 


560 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


is  from  the  Father  and  the  Body 
from  the  Mother,  148  n,  ii,  103. 

Aristotle,  his  spiritual  knowledge  de- 
rived from  tradition,  ii,  135,  138; 
appears  to  Swedenborg,  475. 

Arminian  Magazine,  i,  220,  222  n,  226, 
227,  ii,  593;  Wesley's  fact  and 
fiction,  i,  228. 

Arminianism,  unsatisfactory,  ii,  295- 
296,  551-552. 

Arndt,  Garden  of  Paradise,  i,  3,  33. 

Arnold,  Dr.,  on  the  18th  century,  i,  321.  I 

Arnold,  Matthew,  on  logic  and  truth, 
ii,  128  n;  on  history,  140. 

Asceticism,  difficult  and  superfluous, 
L  479-480,  482. 

Athanasian  Creed,  ii,  431  ;  cited  in 
sanction  of  the  Doctrine  of  the 
Lord,  108,  115;  on  a  good  and  bad 
life,  144. 

Athanasius  converses  with  Swedenborg 
and  bewails  his  condition,  ii,  115. 

Atheism,  Man  naturally  tends  to,  ii, 
258 ;  but  for  Revelation  we  should 
know  nothing  of  God,  276;  Self- 
Love  atheistical,  135;  the  impure 
are  Atheists,  129 ;  all  Evil  Spirits 
deny  God,  i,  498,  ii,  526;  and  worship 
some  potentate  among  themselves, 
206  ;  the  confession  of  three  persons 
as  God  leads  to  Atheism,  526. 

Atomic  Theory,  i,  179. 

Atmosphere,  in  Heaven  corresponds  to 
Use,  is  the  continent  of  its  heat  and 
light,  and  condensed  is  the  ground 
of  the  Spiritual  World,  ii,  217. 

Atonement,  absurdity  and  horrors  of 
the  orthodox  view,  ii,  183,  402. 

Atterbom,  apocryphal  story  about 
Virgil  and  Swedenborg,  ii,  346. 

Augustine,  St.,  appears  to  Swedenborg, 
ii,  484. 

Augustus,  ii,  347  ;  interview  with 
Swedenborg,  349. 


I  Authoresses,  originality  tested  in  the 
Spiritual  World,  ii,  369. 
Authority,  impotence  of  infallible,  ii, 

252. 

,  Avarice  shuts  the  mind  to  Heaven,  i, 
353  ;  is  madness,  493 ;  of  the  Jews, 
353,  354 ;  of  the  Quakers,  388. 

Baazius,  Dr.,  i,  10. 

Babylon,  is  Popery,  ii,  9,  311  ;  the 
whore  denounced  in  the  Swedish 
Diet,  81. 

Bachelors  and  Spinsters  after  death, 
ii,  360. 

Bacon,  i,  55;  rivalled  by  Wilkinson, 
177;  on  aphorisms,  ii,  21;  on  the 
love  of  truth,  174. 
Balaam  and  his  ass,  i,  349. 
Baptism,  a  sign  that  the  Man  is  to  be 
regenerated,  ii,  37  ;  instead  of  cir- 
cumcision a  sign  of  introduction  to 
the  Church,  and  void  of  spiritual 
effect,  562  ;  practised  in  the  Spiritual 
World,  562. 
Baptists  in  Sweden,  i,  188. 
Barrett,  Rev.  B.  F.,  ii,  653. 
Barruel,  ii,  93  n. 
Barthelemon,  ii,  599. 
Bateman,  Henry,  on   the  cause  of 
Hindmarsh's    expulsion    from  his 
own  New  Jerusalem,  ii,  603  ;  plans 
a  Swedenborgian  college,  635. 
Baxter,  Richard,  i,  242. 
Baylon,  ii,  66. 

Beasts,  the  Pre-Adamites  lived  as,  i, 
327  ;  in  himself  Man  is  a  Beast,  328. 
Beaumont's  A nti- Swedenborg  answered 

by  Noble,  ii,  614. 
Bebelius,  i.  5. 

Beggars  after  death,  i,  292;  Sweden- 
borg gave  nothing  to,  ii,  344. 
Behrn,  Sara,  first  wife  of  Jesper  Sved- 
berg  and  mother  of  Swedenborg,  i, 
5;  her  death.  17. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


561 


Behmen,  Jacob,  ii,  335,  582 ;  was  not 

read  by  Swedenborg,  i,  189. 
Belief  defined,  ii,  171 ;   to  say  you 

believe  what  you  do  not  understand 

is  to  talk  nonsenee,  180. 
Benedict  XIV.,  i,  120;   among  the 

most  wicked,  ii,  450. 
Bentham,  ii,  18. 

Benzelius,  Anna,  Swedenborg' s  sister, 
i,  41. 

Benzelius,  Archbishop  Eric,  Sweden- 
borg's  brother-in-law:  Letters  to 
him  from  Swedenborg,  i,  37,  40,  55, 
60  ;  on  novelties,  61 ;  on  the  Sun, 
61 ;  on  his  unhappiness,  62 ;  on 
mathematicians,  71 ;  dedication  to 
him  of  The  Infinite,  98. 

Beranger's  Autobiography,  ii,  447  n. 

Bergia,  Sara,  second  wife  of  Jesper 
Svedberg :  their  courtship,  i,  19  ;  her 
death,  60 ;  her  will,  73. 

Bergstrom,  Swedish  innkeeper  in 
London,  i,  231,  ii,  329 ;  remini- 
scences of  Swedenborg,  ii,  330 ;  visits 
Swedenborg  in  his  last  illness,  586. 

Berkeley,  i,  175,  176,  ii,  460  n;  com- 
bined with  Swedenborg  by  Tulk, 
616. 

Berlin  in  1733,  i,  76. 

Beskow,  Baron,  ii,  666  n. 

Betrothals  and  Nuptials,  ii,  392. 

Beyer,  Dr.,  i.  180 ;  account  of  the 
beginning  of  Swedenborg's  visions, 
244 ;  meets  Swedenborg  and  is  con- 
verted by  him,  ii,  300  ;  writes  to  ask 
why  he  has  not  published  the  works 
ordered  by  the  Lord,  101 ;  argues 
with  Oetinger,  335  ;  prosecuted  for 
his  Swedenborgianism,  488 ;  makes 
a  Declaration  to  the  King,  490. 

Beyer,  Dr.,  Letters  from  Swedenborg, 
with  copies  of  the  Apocalypse  Re- 
vealed ;  expects  a  commotion  among 
the  English  Bishops;  explains  why 


he  has  not  quoted  Paul  in  the  Arcana 
Cozlestia,  ii,  324 ;  advises  caution  in 
treating  of  the  New  Church,  331, 
and  expectations  concerning,  332  ; 
with  copies  of  Brief  Exposition,  443, 
which  on  news  from  Sweden  he 
withdraws,  444 ;  on  a  mysterious  ex- 
pedition to  Paris,  447 ;  on  the  rumour 
that  he  was  ordered  out  of  that  city, 
459  ;  asserting  his  only  offence  to  be 
the  worship  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
494 ;  his  hopelessness  of  Sweden, 
496 ;  about  a  boy  who  sees  visions, 
498 ;  about  the  death  of  Beyer's 
wife,  499;  about  his  departure  for 
Amsterdam  to  publish  the  True 
Christian  Religion,  501 ;  with  his 
manifesto  against  Ernesti  as  good 
for  Ekebom  likewise,  518. 
Bible,  .a  Swedenborgian,  ii,  53;  the 
Hebrew  Bible  true,  141  ;  Guizot  on 
the  Bible,  142. 

i   Bibles,  Swedenborg's,  ii,  343  ;  Schmi- 
dius  his  hand-book,  344. 
Biblical  infallibility,  ii,  657  ;  its  fraudu- 
lent defences,  658. 
Binney,  anticipated,  i,  485. 

,  Biographie  Universelle  on  Swedenborg, 
ii,  447  n. 

\   Biron,  ii,  89. 

,  Bishops,  English,  Swedenborg  con- 
verses with  in  the  Spiritual  World, 
ii,  301  ;  overheard  from  Heaven  by 
George  II.,  303  ;  the  case  explained 
to  him,  303 ;  he  orders  them  off,  304; 
their  patronage,  305 ;  treatment  of 
Swedenborg's  books,  672. 
Blake,  William,  ii,  618,  640. 

;   Blood,  the,  Articles  on,  i,  123-124 
whatever  exists  in  the  Body  pre- 
exists in  the  Blood,  133  ;  the  science 
of  the  Blood  includes  all  sciences, 
134. 

Blood,  Red,  divisible  into  three,  i,  132  ; 


562 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


no  single  compound  entity  in  Nature 
more  simple  and  perfect  than  a  red 
blood  globule,  134,  ii,  235;  it  con- 
sists of  six  globules  of  white  blood, 
with  a  cube  of  salt  for  a  centre,  i,  186  J 
originates  in  the  stomach,  138; 
motion  rotatory,  140. 

Hood,  White,  nourished  from  ether 
through  the  lungs  and  skin,  i,  138  ; 
the  vesture  of  the  animal  spirits, 
138;  motion  spiral,  140. 

Blood,  its  heat  derived  from  the 
Spiritual  Sun,  ii,  228  ;  red,  because 
it  corresponds  to  Love,  229. 

Bodama,  Tisula,  understands  Sweden- 

berg,  i,  322. 

Body  derived  from  the  Mother,  i,  1, 
ii,  103,  353;  projected  from  the 
Brain,  ii,  227  ;  everything  of  the 
Body  may  be  referred  to  something 
in  the  Brain,  228. 

Boerlia&Te,  i,  GG,  07. 

Bohemian  Mines  visited  by  Sweden- 
borg,  i,  79. 

Bol.n,  EL  G.,  i,  9G. 

Bonde,  Count,  i,  G7  ;  Sweden borg 
writes  to  him  on  intercourse  with 
Spirits,  ii,  580  H. 

Bonington,  William,  ii,  599. 

Bocks  compiled  in  the  Spiritual  world 
from  the  memories  of  the  authors, 
i,  41 1 ;  books  and  libraries  in  Ilcavi  n, 
4G5  ;  Swedenborg's  own  works  read 
there,  ii,  478. 

Book-Worms  dwell  in  caves,  study  by 
candle-light,  and  are  afflicted  with 
mice  and  other  vermin,  i,  292. 

Borowski's  IAfc  of  Kant,  ii.  70,  73. 

Boston,  eentre  of  American  Swcden- 
borgianism,  ii,  G48. 

Bourignon,  Kant  on,  ii,  74. 

Boyle,  i,  66. 

Boys  fighting  in  the  streets,  i,  303; 
Angels  see  them  through  Sweden- 


borg's eyes,  396;  boys  and  girls  at 

play,  ii,  3C5. 
Bradley,  i,  247. 

Brahe,  Count,  appears  to  Swedenborg 
after  his  execution,  i,  403. 

Brain,  the  abode  of  the  Soul,  i,  10G; 
its  motion  coincident  with  respiration, 
124,  139  ;  the  organ  of  the  animal 
spirits,  138;  Swedenborg's  manu- 
script on,  155. 

Brain,  the,  as  shared  by  the  Will  and 
Understanding,  i,343  ;  every  volition 
and  thought  inscribed  on,  410;  its 
relation  to  the  Body,  417,  which  is 
shot  forth  from  it,  ii,  227  ;  is  in  the 
Human  Form,  i,  421  ;  is  the  habi- 
tation of  Good  Affections,  ii,  187  ;  a 
condition  and  limit  of  regeneration, 
190,  553;  Swedenborg's  descrip- 
tion of  its  functions  not  consistent, 
235. 

'   Bray  ley,  E.  W.,  ii,  041. 

Brief  Exposition  (Summaria  Expositio 
Doctrirun  Novce  Ecclesuc)  reviewed, 
ii,  427-442. 

Brockmer,  Fetter  Lane,  London  : 
Swedenborg  lodges  with  him,  i,  219, 
ii,  574;  his  curious  tale,  i,  221-225; 
cross-questioned  by  Hiudmarsh,  225, 
227  ;  his  opiuion  of  Wesley,  229. 

Bronte,  Charlotte,  on  woman's  desire 
for  a  master,  ii,  3G6. 

Brotherton,  Edward,  an  angelic  charac- 
ter, ii,  040. 

Brotherton,  Joseph,  ii,  Gil. 

Brougham,  Lord,  i,  187. 

Browell,  Capt.,  ii,  331. 

Browne,  Sir  Thomas,  on  correspon- 
dences, i,  332. 

Brunner  of  Up.»ala,  i,  4. 

Brunswick,  Rudolph  Duke  of,  i,  G7; 
Swedenborg  dedicates  to  him  Mis- 
cellaneous Ob*>  n  ations,  Ft.  iv,  G8, 
and  Ojktu  VhiUisophica  tt  JJincralia, 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


563 


82  ;  his  death,  82 ;   his  bountiful 
patronage,  82,  174. 
Buffon  and   Swedenborg's  Principia, 
i,  96. 

Burchardt,  German  Printer,  goes  to 
Sweden  and  is  ruined,  i,  11. 

Burgman,  i,  220,  225. 

Burkhardt,  ii,  582,  588  n. 

Butler,  Bishop,  i,  175,  ii,  125,  669;  on 
the  use  of  glasses  for  the  eyes,  ii,  464. 

Bums,  Robert,  ii,  56,  613. 

Bush,  George,  ii,  652. 

Butter  disliked  by  Spiritual  Angels, 
and  liked  by  Celestial,  i,  296. 

Butter,  Henry,  ii,  641. 

Caer,  Michael,  i,  224. 
Cain  commenced  the  Sacred  Scriptures, 
i,  239. 

Calvin,  Swedenborg's  acquaintance 
with,  ii,  429,  440;  took  his  texts 
from  Paul  and  none  from  the  Gospels, 
326. 

Camena  Borea,  i,  41 . 

Canaan  signifies  corrupt  external  wor- 
ship, i,  342. 

Canaan,  seat  of  the  Most  Ancient 
Church,  i,  329  ;  thus  selected  for  the 
Jewish  Church,  359. 

Canaanites  destroyed,  and  why,  i,  360. 

Canning,  George,  on  creation,  i,  172  n. 

Canrobert,  Marshal,  ii,  646. 

Cares  shut  up  Heaven,  i,  291. 

Carlscrona  Dock,  i,  52. 

Carlson,  i,  220  n. 

Carmina  Miscellanea,  i,  44. 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  on  the  re  appearance 
of  Charles  XII,  i.  41  ;  Wolf's  philo- 
sophy, 78  ;  seven  planets,  160  n  ; 
the  passage  from  darkness  to  light, 
246;  the  summons  worship  or  be 
damned,  255 ;  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, 321;  the  Spiritual  and  the 
Practical,  4S9  n ;  stupidity,  493;  God 


revealed  in  history,  ii,  140  ;  truth  of 
the  Bible,  141  ;  influences  about 
childhood,  189  ;  passage  from  Crom- 
well, 205  ;  hope  is  Man's  all,  260  n ; 
George  II,  307  n  ;  anarchy,  613  w; 
similarity  of  Carlyle's  best  utterances 
to  Swedenborg's,  673. 

Castel,  William,  ii,  61. 

Catherine  II,  ii,  87. 

Catholics  in  the  World  of  Spirits  before 
the  Last  Judgement,  ii,  8,  10-12  ; 
visited  by  Angels  and  dispersed, 
12-13  ;  the  good  instructed  by  Pro- 
testants, 13. 

Catholics,  not  a  Church,  ii,  21  n;  hosts 
of  them  go  to  Heaven,  448;  their 
cloudy  state  in  the  World  of  Spirits, 
448 ;  held  the  same  doctrine  before 
the  Reformation  as  the  Protestants, 
427.;  think  more  of  rites  than  doctrine, 
428  ;  will  enter  the  New  Church 
before  Protestants,  434. 

Celestial  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  i,  417. 

Celestial  Sense  of  the  Word,  ii,  124. 

Celibacy,  of  youth  neither  chaste  nor 
unchaste,  ii,  371  ;  is  not  Chastity, 
often  its  opposite,  371  ;  minds  of 
Celibates  nasty  places,  372  ;  Henry 
James  on  the  proneness  of  Celibacy 
to  impurity,  373 ;  the  ascetic  curse 
inherited  by  Protestants,  374. 

Celsius,  Dr.,  ii,  344. 

Chalmers,  Dr.,  ii,  55,  43T). 

Changuion,  i,  123,  ii,  421. 

Channing,  Dr.,  on  the  Lord's  advents, 
i,  286. 

Charity,  Doctrine  of  (Doctrina  Chari- 
tatis)  reviewed,  ii,  144,  151-165. 

Charity,  consists  in  shunning  evils  as 
sins,  and  then  in  doing  good,  ii,  151  ; 
in  every  duty  righteously  fulfilled, 
i,  485,  ii,  27,  159,  549;  not  alms- 
giving, ii,  28 ;  simulated  by  Self- Love, 
151. 


564 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Charles  XI.  favours  Jespcr  Svedberg, 
i,  7,  9-11  ;  is  the  death  of  Jernfeldt, 
12  ;  a  severe  king,  and  his  sad 
opinion  of  mankind,  18  ;  re-united 
to  his  wife  after  death,  399. 

Charles  XII.  succeeds  to  the  throne, 
18  ;  conspired  against  by  Denmark, 
Russia,  and  Poland,  20;  taxes  Sweden 
heavily,  20 ;  Svedberg  remonstrates 
with  him  on  behalf  of  the  clergy, 
21-23;  creates  him  Bishop  of  Skara, 
22  ;  defeated  and  takes  refuge  in 
Turkey,  41 ;  returns  suddenly,  42  ; 
appoints  Swedenborg  Assessor  of 
Mines,  48  ;  arithmetical  discussions, 
49  ;  engages  him  in  engineering 
works,  52  ;  wishes  him  to  marry 
Polhem's  daughter,  52  ;  visited  by 
Bishop  Svedberg,  53  ;  lays  siege  to 
Frederickshall,  and  gets  Swedenborg 
to  assist  him,  55 ;  his  death,  56 ; 
his  notation  based  on  64,  68;  cited 
as  an  example  of  true  courage, 
148. 

Charles  XII.  after  death :  his  obstinacy, 
his  fights  with  his  wife,  and  conquest 
by  her,  i,  397 ;  his  passion  for  do- 
minion, and  his  Atheism,  398;  desires 
to  be  the  leader  of  Hell :  reduced  to 
idiocy,  399;  visits  Queen  Christina, 
402  ;  cited  as  an  instance  of  infernal 
marriage,  ii,  390,  392  n. 

Chastity,  is  found  alone  in  Marriage,  ii, 
371  ;  is  not  Celibacy,  371 ;  not  pre- 
dicate of  Eunuchs,  371  ;  nor  of  those 
who  refrain  from  venery  for  various 
outward  reasons,  nor  of  Monks  and 
Nuns,  372. 

Chemistry,  Swedenborg's,  i,  64. 

Chevreuil,  ii,  447. 

Childhood,  unspeakable  importance  of 
the  influences  around,  ii,  189. 

China,  the  Ancient  Word  probably  in, 
i,  340. 


Chinese,  shocked  at  the  name  of  Christ, 

i,  380;  in  the  Spiritual  World,  ii, 
484. 

Christian  VI.  after  death,  i,  289. 

Christians  and  Gentiles,  i,  379. 

Christians,  Early,  too  simple  to  receive 
the  full  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  ii, 
115,  or  the  Spiritual  Sense  of  the 
Word,  139. 

Christina,  Queen,  house  in  Rome,  i, 
119;  talk  with  the  Pope,  402;  be- 
witched by  Babylon,  ii,  82. 

Church,  the,  defined :  is  the  Lord  in 
Man,  ii,  39  ;  the  Lord  is  wedded 
to  the  Church,  370  ;  differences  of 
opinion  would  have  added  to  its  glory 
had  Chanty  been  its  head,  282  ;  con- 
stituted by  the  understanding  of  the 
Scriptures,  134;  begins  in  Repentance, 
554. 

Church,  a,  always  exists  on  Earth, 

ii,  138  ;  it  is  sufficient  that  there  be 
a  Church  for  its  influence  is  universal, 
279  ;  Heaven  is  base!  in  the  Church, 
ii,  5,  220;  Angels  and  the  Church 
form  one  Man,  130 ;  when  the  Church 
comes  to  an  end  a  new  one  is  begun 
among  Gentiles,  ii,  19  ;  Churches 
begin  in  Charity  and  end  in  Faith,  6. 

Church,  Ancient,  began  with  Noah  : 
its  ruin  depicted  in  the  erection  of 
Babel,  i,  327  ;  originated  in  a  rem- 
nant of  the  Most  Ancient  Church, 
341  ;  spread  very  widely  among 
Gentiles,  342  ;  its  genius  altogether 
diverse  from  the  Most  Ancient,  342 ; 
had  no  uniform  creed  or  ritual,  342  ; 
charity  its  essential,  343,  ii,  21 ;  the 
study  of  the  relations  between  the 
Seen  and  the  Unseen  the  delight  of 
its  members,  i,  344  ;  symbolism,  345; 
decline  in  the  growth  of  self-love 
over  neighbourly  love,  346 ;  stupidity 
accompanied  selfishness,  Scriptures 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


565 


neglected  and  symbols  worshipped, 
and  the  Church  consummated  in 
idolatry,  347 ;  Hells  of  the  Ancient 
Church,  348  ;  its  Soriptures  preserved 
in  Tartary,  ii,  53,  138 

Church,  first  Christian,  a  scaffolding 
for  a  nobler  structure,  i,  373 ;  its 
primitive  peace,  374 ;  its  leaders 
actuated  by  self-love,  ii,  280  ;  its 
two  periods,  Nice  and  1757,  565 ;  its 
evil  distinctions  of  faith,  and  desola- 
tion, i,  375  ;  its  sensual  philosophy, 
376  ;  not  a  single  genuine  truth  left 
in  it,  ii,  572  ;  badness  of  the  Souls 
it  sends  to  the  Spiritual  World,  i,  377  ; 
dead  and  done  for,  ii,  20. 

Church,  the  Most  Ancient  :  rise 
symbolized  in  the  story  of  Creation, 
culmination  in  Adam  and  Eve  in 
Eden,  decline  in  the  eating  of  the 
tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil,  and  destruction  in  the  deluge, 
i,  327  ;  the  Pre- Adamites  lived  as 
beasts,  327 ;  the  days  of  Creation 
signify  the  developement  of  the 
Animal  into  the  Man,  328 ;  the 
Adamites  dwelt  in  tents  in  Canaan, 
divided  into  houses,  families,  and 
tribes,  cared  nothing  for  property, 
and  lived  on  vegetable  food,  329; 
conversed  by  the  countenance  more 
than  by  voice,  and  were  utterly 
sincere,  330;  their  internal  respira- 
tion, 330 ;  the  law  was  in  their 
hearts,  they  had  no  written  Word, 
but  talked  with  the  Lord  face  to 
face,  and  with  Angels,  and  were 
instructed  in  dreams  and  visions, 
331,  465 ;  their  amazing  wisdom, 
331  ;  the  outer  world  to  them  a 
revelation  of  the  inner,  332  ;  had  no 
ceremonial  worship,  333 ;  their  fall 
began  in  pride — in  the  notion  of 
independence,  333,  ii,  1 12  ;  manner 


.  of  the  fall,  i,  333-335;  the  fall 
gradual,  335;  their  final  extinction 
by  suffocation,  336,  338 ;  their  Hells, 
336  ;  their  Heavens,  338. 

Church,  the  New,  signified  by  the  New 
Jerusalem,  ii,  20 ;  hour  arrived  for 
its  establishment,  433 ;  the  crown  of 
all  Churches,  566 ;  it  will  endure  for 
ages  and  ages,  567;  established  by 
the  revelation  of  the  Spiritual  Sense 
of  the  Word  and  by  Swedenborg's 
instruction  in  the  Spiritual  World, 
572  ;  its  code  of  doctrine,  20,  433 ; 
the  doctrine  of  the  Lord  its  chief 
tenet,  115;  views  of  the  Angels 
about  its  future,  18 ;  Swedenborg 
describes  the  process  of  its  formation 
to  Beyer,  332;  gives  Tuxen  its 
earthly  statistics,  507  ;  says  the  time 
of  its  establishment  is  unknown,  586 ; 
his  hopes  concerning,  660;  usually 
raised  up  among  Gentiles,  i,  341, 
470 ;  few  will  enter  it  from  the 
former  Church,  377  ;  many  of  the 
English  will,  ii,  56;  and  Catholics 
before  Protestants,  434. 

Churches,  Four,  on  Earth  since 
Creation,  i,  373,  ii,  564;  a  limping 
analogy,  i,  374 ;  their  history  that  of 
Humanity,  381  ;  their  order  and 
decline,  ii,  567,  571. 

Cicero,  ii,  135,  138 ;  converses  with 
Swedenborg,  350. 

Circumstances  governed  by  character 
in  this  world  and  the  next,  i,  261, 
425,  489. 

Civil  Government,  ii,  43. 

Civil  Life,  i,  480. 

Clapp,  Otis,  his  Swedenborgian  Bible, 
ii,  53. 

Clarke,  James,  on  Swedenborg's  diet, 
ii,  576  n. 

Clement  XI.  and  the  Bull  Unigenitus, 
ii,  449. 


5G6 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Clomcnt  XII.,  i,  120;  among  the 
Blessed,  ii,  450. 

Clergy,  GOO  English,  have  an  interview 
with  George  II.  in  the  Spiritual 
World,  ii,  305. 

Clissold,  Rev.  Augustus,  translator  of 
Swedeuborg,  i,  177  ;  his  munificence, 
178  ;  gives  £3,000  to  the  Swedeuborg 
Society,  ii,  634  ;  successor  of  Clowes, 
641 ;  invites  unhappy  Churchmen 
to  Swedenborgian  peace,  643. 

Clowes,  Rev.  John,  chief  apostle  of 
Swedenborgianism,  ii,  594;  birth  and 
education,  594 ;  at  first  repelled  by 
Swedeuborg' s  writings,  594;  .his 
supernatural  conversion,  595;  com- 
mences an  active  propaganda  in 
Manchester,  596;  translates  Sweden- 
borg,  and  writes  in  his  defence,  597  ; 
is  summoned  before  Bishop  Porteous, 
and  is  dismissed  unhurt,  597  ;  goes 
to  London  to  advise  against  Hind- 
marsh's  sectarian  designs,  600;  at- 
tacked by  Proud,  and  replies,  609 ; 
his  death,  622 ;  character  of  his 
writings,  622  ;  number  of  his  con- 
verts, 622  ;  defence  of  his  position 
in  the  Established  Church,  623; 
sometimes  preached  from  a  pew  in 
New  Jerusalem  Temples,  624;  met 
his  adherents  annually,  631  ;  dis- 
owned Noble's  doctrine,  642;  Angels 
dictate  his  sermons,  645  ;  his  expec- 
tations concerning  the  New  Church. 
661  ;  his  influence  far  greater  than 
that  of  Hindmarsh,  661. 

Coimbra,  Bishop  of,  ii,  425. 

Cold  Bath  Fields,  London,  i,  224,  ii, 
574,  575. 

Colenso,  Bishop,  i,  349,  ii,  141. 

Coleridge,  ii,  168,508;  onevil  thoughts, 
293;  09  Noble's  Appeal,  614;  ac- 
quainted with  Tulk,  and  often  t<> 
write  a  Life  of  the  Mind  of  Sweden 


borg,  616  ;  on  Swcdenborg  as  a  con- 
troversialist, 669,  and  as  a  .moralist, 
673. 

Collin,  Nicholas,  his  reminiscences  of 

Swedeuborg.  ii,  344. 
1  Colours,  attributed  to   the  forms  on 

which  light    falls,  i,   66;    Sir  I. 

Newton  is  instructed  on  their  origin, 

ii,  58  ;  their  origin,  524. 
!  Columbus,  portrait  at  Geuoa,  i,  120. 
Combe,  ii,  234. 
Common-Sense,  i,  322-324. 
Communion  of  Saints  and  Devils,  i, 

368,  380. 

Concubinage,  the  intercourse  of  a 
husband  with  a  harlot,  ii,  415;  two 
kinds  of,  with  a  wife  and  apart  from 
a  wife,  415;  valid  reasons  for,  416; 
a  catalogue  of  sanctions  for,  416; 
Conjugial  Love  does  not  suffer  in 
lawful  Concubinage,  418. 

Conference,  Swedenborgian,  dates  and 
places  of  the  first  meetings,  ii,  627- 
628;  distribution  and  statistics  of  its 
Societies,  628-29  ;  its  hierarchy,  630; 
its  magazine,  631. 

Confession  may  be  useful  in  self-ex- 
amination, ii,  558. 

Conjugial  Love  (  DeliUn  Sapiential  dc 
Amore  Conjugiali,  dr. J  published, 
ii,  353  ;  reviewed,  354-419  ;  seized  in 
Sweden,  487. 

Conjugial  Love:  a\  by  omjugial  instead 
of  conjugal,  ii,  354;  rare  at  this  day, 
361,  386;  in  its  essence  the  passion 
of  Goodness  for  Truth,  and  of  the 
Lord  for  His  Church,  361,  370; 
holy,  pure,  and  clean  beyond  every 
other  Love,  361  ;  from  its  origin  to 
its  last  delights  pure  and  holy,  371 ; 
iuto  it  are  collated  every  and  the 
most  exquisite  delights,  whieh  in- 
crease to  eternity,  361,  376,  377, 
379 ;  only  exists  with  the  Righteous, 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


567 


362,  380,  407,  411 ;  none  will  receive 
it  save  those  whom  the  Lord  leads 
into  the  New  Church,  407;  im- 
possible in  Polygamy,  395. 

Conjugial  Love,  an  efflux  from  the 
Lord,  ii,  380;  a  mental  affection, 
and  to  be  at  once  separated  from 
and  united  with  Sexual  Love,  370  ; 
both  Loves  originate  in  "Women  and  - 
are  communicated  by  them  to  Men : 
proved  by  experience,  374-376,  380, 
381 ;  Love  of  Children  originates  in 
Conjugial  Love,  401 ;  Children  born 
of  parents  in  Conjugial  Love  have 
■  superior  capacity  for  Heaven  and 
the  Church,  378;  the  sense  of  touch 
belongs  to  the  Love,  379. 

Conscience,  its  own  register,  i,  145; 
not  intuitive  but  acquiredfrom  truths 
learnt  and  practised,  ii,  31 ;  the 
"Wicked  have  none,  31. 

Consciousness,  a  momentary  derivation 
from  the  in-dwelling  of  God  in  Man, 

i,  169,  333,  425,  502;  ii,  112,  200, 
239,  247,  258 ;  no  evidence  of  reality, 

ii,  150,  153  ;  Henry  James  on 
Swedenborg's  doctrine  thereof,  654  ; 
notes  on,  666-668. 

Contrition  distinguished  from  Repent- 
ance, ii,  555. 

Convention,  General,  of  American 
Swedenborgians,  ii,  649 ;  magazine 
and  newspaper,  649 ;  ecclesiastical 
assumptions,  650  ;  kicks  dead  sla- 
very, 652  ;  adversaries,  652. 

Conversation  by  the  countenance  prac- 
tised in  the  Most  Ancient  Church, 
i,  330;  and  in  Mars,  511;  and 
Jupiter,  512. 

Cookworthy,  William,  translates  Doc- 
trine of  Life,  ii,  479 ;  and  Heaven 
and  Hell,  592;  visits  Swedenborg, 
583  ;  his  death-bed,  592. 

Coronis,  ii,  571. 


Councils,  place  no  trust  in,  ii,  661. 

Cowper,  i,  382  ;  ii,  143,  337. 

Cowherd,  "William,  curate  to  Clowes : 
sets  up  a  Vegetarian  Jerusalem,  ii, 
610  ;  differs  with  Hindmarsh :  death 
and  epitaph,  611. 

Correspondences,  Science  of,  first  in- 
dicated, i,  192  ;  everything  in  Nature 
answers  to  something  in  Spirit,  259 ; 
circumstances  and  character  match 
in  the  Spiritual  World,  425 ;  the 
law  illustrated  by  Carlyle,  489  ;  the 
Scriptures  written  according  to  the 
Science,  ii,  126;  its  laws  set  forth 
in  the  Doctrine  of  Degrees,  210; 
regarded  by  the  Ancients  as  the 
Science  of  Sciences,  497. 

Crabbe's  imaginary  Swedenborgian,  ii, 
624. 

Cramer  on  Swedenborg  as  a  me- 
tallurgist, i,  175. 

Creation,  originates  in  a  Point,  i,  91-92 ; 
no  more  mysterious  than  cooking  a 
dumpling,  95;  described,  158-173. 

Creation,  relation  to  the  Creator,  ii,  112 ; 
does  not  proceed  from  nothing,  but 
from  God,  yet  in  Creation  is  nothing 
of  God,  198,  212,  465;  between  God 
and  His  Work  a  Discrete  degree,  21 1 ; 
Creation  perpetual,  225  ;  its  variety 
a  reflection  of  the  Infinite,  244  ;  in- 
comprehensible unless  God  is  re- 
garded as  Substance  and  Form,  527  ; 
Space  and  Time  originate  with 
Creation,  532,  533  ;  process  of  Crea- 
tion, 534. 

Creation  summed  up  in  Man :  Nature 
is  Man  in  diffusion  :  Man  is  Nature 
concentrated  and  epitomized,  ii,  201. 

Criminals  after  execution,  i,  403. 

Crisis,  The,  i,  197  n. 

Croker's  Boswell's  Johnson,  ii,  418  n. 

Crompton,  Roger,  ii,  635. 

Crompton,  Samuel,  ii,  618. 


568 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Cromwell,  Oliver,  i,  183;  attests  we 
can  only  find  God  in  Christ,  ii,  205 ; 
on  conjugal  love,  370  n. 

Cuno,  John  Christian,  his  Autobio- 
graphy, ii,  420;  makes  Swedenborg"  s 
acquaintance,  420  ;  his  opinion  of 
him,  421  ;  notes  concerning  his 
habits,  421-426;  remonstrates  with 
him  on  the  Brief -Exposition,  444; 
how  Swedenborg  received  his  letter, 
445  ;  Cuno's  spiritual  stupidity,  445 ; 
Swedenborg's  tender  farewell,  446  ; 
Cuno  finds  Swedenborg  busy  on  the 
True  Christian  Religion,  509;  sur- 
prised that  he  should  style  himself, 
Servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
510  ;  conversation  on  Familiar 
Spirits,  51 1  ;  finds  him  very  sociable, 
521. 

Currency,  Swedenborg  on,  ii,  83. 

Daedalus  Hyperbobeus,  i,  47,  55. 

Danes  in  the  Last  Judgement,  ii,  8. 

Darwin,  Dr.  i,  172  n. 

David,  King,  his  lusts,  i,  389 ;  con- 
spires to  destroy  Swedenborg,  390  ; 
with  Paul  among  the  Lost,  ii,  658, 
664. 

Dawn,  The,  i,  197  a. 

Dawson,  Samuel,  ii,  618. 

Death,  the  dropping  of  a  rent  or  worn- 
out  vesture :  the  Man  survives,  i,  143, 
258,  260,  262,  407,  434. 

Decalogue,  one  table  fur  God  and  one 
for  Man,  ii,  149;  reason  of  its  nega- 
tions, 147,  150 ;  knowledge  of  uni- 
versally diffused,  276  ;  why  given 
from  Sinai,  546 ;  a  summary  of  the 
Word  and  all  religion,  and  contains 
spiritual  and  celestial  senses,  546. 

Deductive  Method  condemned,  i,  152- 
153. 

Degrees  pervade  Nature  and  is  by  them 
interpreted,  i,  127. 


Degrees,  Continuous,  or  of  Latitude, 
ii,  210;  distinguished  from  Discrete 
Degrees,  211,  218  ;  and  exist  every- 
where in  combination  with,  214. 

Degrees,  Discrete,  or  of  Altitude,  ii, 
210;  until  now  unknown,  211;  ex- 
amples of,  2 1 1 , 2 1 8 ;  exist  everywhere 
in  trines,  212. 

De  la  Gardie,  Count,  married  in  Heaven 
to  the  Empress  Elizabeth  of  liussia, 
ii,  89. 

Delft,  Swedenborg's  vision  at,  i,  204. 244. 

Deluge,  the,  was  the  extinction  of  the 
Most  Ancient  Church  by  suffocation, 
i,  336,  and  was  confined  to  its  mem- 
bers, 338. 

De  Morgan,  Augustus,  on  Belief,  ii,  171. 
Depreciation  and  Rise  of  Ike  Swedish 

Currency,  i,  70. 
Descartes,  i,  82,  97 ;  Swedenborg  a 

Cartesian,  ii,  84  ;  Descartes  appears 

to  Swedenborg,  ii,  468. 
Des  Guays,  Le  Boys,   translator  of 

Swedenborg  into  French,  ii,  646. 
Desprez,  Rev.  P.  S.,  ii,  312  n. 
Devil,  the,  why  does  God  not  kill  him? 

i,  17. 

Devil,  cast  out  by  Eishop  Svedberg,  i, 
25  ;  one  set  his  palace  on  fire,  36. 

Devil,  defined,  i,  477  ;  is  Self-Love, 
486;  hates  all  who  do  not  favour 
him,  498  ;  regards  himself  alone,  ii, 
263 ;  there  is  no  King  Devil,  nor 
Devils  who  were  once  Angels  :  Devil 
signifies  Hell  as  to  Will  and  Satan 
as  to  Understanding,  i,  497  ;  all 
Devils  were  once  Men.  475,  ii,  340 ; 
Hell  is  based  in  Man,  ii,  668;  Devils 
at  home,  i,  490  ;  they  like  their 
Hells  :  their  sharpest  pains  arise 
from  the  presence  of  Heaven,  i,  490, 
495,  503,  ii,  495  ;  ugly  and  ill-dressed, 
but  not  in  their  own  eyes,  i,  488, 
492 ;  each  has  his  paramour,  and 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


569 


promiscuous  intercourse  forbidden, 
ii,  360,  408  ;  are  well  worked,  i,  500 ; 
are  atheists,  498 ;  can  understand 
truths  temporarily,  ii,  177,  266  ; 
Swedenborg  could  converse  with 
them  unscathed,  340 ;  publishes  a 
communication  from  them,  299. 

Devils,  ungoverned  would  quickly 
cease  to  be,  ii,  289 ;  subjects  of  God;s 
love,  537  ;  His  presence  in  them, 
538-540;  how  utilized,  272  ;  hitherto 
neglected  and  persecuted :  Henry 
James,  273 ;  easier  to  change  a 
serpent  into  a  lamb  than  a  Devil 
into  an  Angel,  298. 

Discovery  of  Ike  Poicers  of  Vessels  by 
Mechanical  Principles,  i,  64. 

Diseases  originate  in  Hell,  ii,  339. 

Disraeli,  B.,  on  the  source  of  all  ex- 
cellence, i,  491  n. 

Divine  Love  and  Divine  Wisdom  (Sa- 
pientia  Angelica  de  Divino  Amore  et 
de  Divina  Sapientia),  reviewed,  ii, 
196-236;  read  in  Heaven,  478; 
translated  into  English  by  Dr. 
Tucker,  202,  597. 

Divine  Providence  (Sapientia  Angelica 
de  Divina  Providentia),  reviewed, 
ii,  237-299;  read  in  Heaven,  478; 
translated  by  Dr.  Tucker,  597. 

Division  of  Money  and  Measures,  a 
Proposal  for,  i,  61. 

Dixon,  Capt.,  ii,  329-330. 

Docks  and  Dykes,  i,  64. 

Docks,  Sluices  and  Salt  Works,  i,  61. 

Doctrine,  the  Scriptures  interpreted  by, 
ii,  125;  must  be  drawn  from  their 
Literal  Sense,  125;  how  true  Doc- 
trine is  to  be  acquired,  128. 

Doddridge,  ii,  669. 

Dort,  Council  of,  on  Predestination,  ii, 
551. 

Dragon,  the,  is  Protestantism,  ii,  311 ; 
universalized,  311. 


Dreams  are  from  the  World  of  Spirits, 
i,  306  ;  signification  of,  ii,  342. 

Dresden,  i,  77,  79. 

Drysdale,  Allan,  ii,  630. 

Duche\  Rev.  Jacob,  ii,  600. 

Dutch,  reflections  on,  i,  114;  in  the 
Last  Judgement,  ii,  8;  in  the 
Spiritual  World,  94. 

Earth,  the  seminary  of  Heaven,  i,  145; 
produced  from  the  Sun,  159 ;  creation 
described,  159-161 ;  reasons  why  the 
Lord  was  born  on,  521-523. 

Earth?,  five,  unnamed  described,  i,  523- 
531. 

East,  always  before  the  eyes  of  the 
Angels,  i,  427  ;  faced  in  bed,  514;  its 
correspondence,  ii,  208. 

Eastcheap,  London,  Hindmarsh's  Jeru- 
salem in,  ii,  601,  604,  605,  611  n. 

Ecce  Homo,  quoted,  ii,  657. 

Ecclesiastical  Government,  ii.  43. 

Economy  of  the  Animal  Kingdom 
((Economist  RegniAnimalis),  printed, 

i,  120;  the  result  of  seven  years' 
search  for  the  Soul,  123 ;  reviewed, 
123-148 ;  described  by  Emerson  as 
an  honour  to  the  human  race,  180 ; 

ii,  103,  235, 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  i,  175;  ii,  577  n. 

Education,  last  century  depicted,  i, 
377 ;  unspeakable  importance  of  early 
influences,  ii,  189. 

Edzardius  of  Hamburg,  i.  0. 

Effluvia,  in  ether,  i,  138 :  blood 
nourished  from,  ii,  232. 

Egyptians,  performed  real  miracles  in 
rivalry  with  Moses,  i,  350 ;  deepest 
magical  Hells  consist  of,  350 ;  Swe- 
denborg offered  to  interpret  their 
Hieroglyphics,  ii,  497. 

Ekeblad,  Count,  ii,  329. 

Ekebom,  Dean,  attacks  Swedenborg, 
Bever  and  Rosen  with  virulence  and. 

2  v 


570 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


stupidity,  ii,  488,  491,  493,  495  ;  ap- 
parition of  his  Familiar  Spirit,  512, 
515;  Swedenborg' s  manifesto  against 
Ernesti  applied  to  him  also,  517. 

Eiberfield,  Merchant  of,  ii,  91. 

Elective  Affinities  discussed,  ii,  387- 
390. 

Elemental  Kingdom  defined,  i,  85. 
Elements,  order  and  procession  of,  i, 

90,  128,  129. 
Elginbrodde,  Martin,  ii,  668. 
Elie.  ii,  447  n. 

Elisha  and  his  young  man,  i,  267. 

Elizabeth,  Empress,  daughter  of  Peter 
the  Great,  splendidly  ministered  to 
in  the  World  of  Spirits,  ii,  88;  her 
character,  88 ;  her  courtship  and 
marriage,  89 ;  450.  664. 

Emerson,  eulogium  on  Swedenborg  as 
a  man  of  science,  i.  177-180;  its 
fancifulness,  180;  on  common-sense, 
324  ;  on  Jewish  ritualism,  365. 

English,  the,  in  the  Spiritual  World, 
ii,  54-56;  contrasted  with  Italians, 
57,  and  with  Germans.  97  ;  their  in- 
difference to  Swedenborg.  301,  478; 
their  Church  midway  between  Rome 
and  Geneva,  428. 

Enoch,  editor  of  the  Scriptures,  i,  339. 

Enunciations,  i,  339. 

Epistles  of  the  Apostles  no  part  of  the 
Word,  ii,  53. 

Equilibrium,  maintained  between 
Heaven  and  Hell,  and  the  cause  of 
Man's  freedom,  i,  501-502,  ii,  241  ; 
fancifulness  of  the  notion,  ii,  554 : 
does  not  exist  in  individuals,  i,  502. 

Ernesti,  Dr.,  appearance  of  his  Fa- 
miliar Spirit,  ii,  512;  lives  near 
Luther's  tomb,  514 ;  Swedenborg' s 
leaf  against,  516:  his  notices  of 
Swedenborg' s  books,  516. 

Ernestine  counselled,  ii,  631. 

EsprkUa's  Letters,  ii,  625. 


I  Essays  and  Reviews,  ii,  158  n. 

Eternity  as  viewed  by  Angel=,  i:  430. 

Ether,  the  third  Element,  i,  90,  92, 
128;  forms  white  blood,  135;  em- 
braces an  ocean  of  saline  and  sul- 
phurous effluvia.  138;  lungs  and  skin 
absorb  it  from  the  air,  138  ;  was  the 
swaddling  clothes  of  the  young 
planets,  160,  and  the  active  to  the 
passive  earth,  161. 

Euler,  ii,  93  n. 

Eunuchs,  have  no  claim  to  chastity, 
ii,  371  ;  explanation  of  the  Lord's 

saying  about,  371  n. 
Eustachius,  i.  125. 

Eve,  hatched  from  an  egg  and  intro- 
duced to  Adam,  i,  170-172 ;  her 
education,  171. 

Eve,  what  her  seduction  by  the  serpent 
signifies,  i,  335;  taken  from  Adam: 
explanation  of  the  allegory,  ii,  368. 

Evidences  of  Christianity,  anecdote 
concerning,  i,  272  n. 

Evil,  punishes  and  then  tends  to  abolish 
itself,  i,  300:  be;ran  in  Man's  con- 
firmation of  the  sensation  of  inde- 
pendence, ii,  237  :  ascribed  to  Man's 
reception  and  effusion  of  the  Divine. 
533 ;  unmitigated  and  simply  p*-r- 
nici'.-us  d  es  not  exist,  287:  small 
compared  with  goodness,  285;  re- 
veals to  us  good,  564. 

Evil  denies  God,  ii,  137;  the  'evil 
heart  of  unbelief.'  17L 

Evils  permitted  that  they  may  be  seen 
and  removed,  ii,  269,  283-284. 

Evil  Thoughts  from  Hell,  and  we 
ought  not  to  credit  ourselves  with 
them,  i,  307,  ii,  293. 

Examination,  Self,  for  repentance,  ii, 
34,  554;  precedes  the  H<  ly  Supper, 
37,  563;  annual  and  semi-annual, 
437;  by  the  Decalogue.  507;  dis- 
credited and  d^liked  by  Protestants, 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


571 


554 ;  a  disease  with  some,  557  n ; 
confession  may  help  to  its  practice, 
558. 

Experience,  the  source  of  all  know- 
ledge, i,  84,  88,  153;  how  Swedenborg 
exemplified  the  dictum,  93,  126,  132, 
152-153;  the  base  of  all  ideas,  ii, 
524,  and  of  imagination,  663. 

External  and  Internal  Man,  ii,  23. 

Faith  in  imputed  righteousness  un- 
known to  Swedenborg  in  childhood, 

i,  15 ;  he  pronounces  "those  happy 
who  can  believe  Revelation  without 
consulting  the  intellect,  151,  187, 
213 ;  the  relation  of  faith  and  works 
discussed,  190-191. 

Faith,  Doctrine  of,  {Doctrina  Novo? 
Hierosolymoz  de  Fide),  reviewed  ii, 
171-186. 

Faith,  defined,  ii,  171  ;  the  result  of 
the  congress  of  Goodness  with  Truth, 
29,  186  ;  he  would  acquire  Faith 
must  therefore  be  good,  ii,  22,  23, 172, 
174 ;  the  Good  alone  receive  and 
believe  the  Truth,  273,  of  which 
they  have  an  interior  sense,  and  in 
them  Truths  are  multiplied,  173  ; 
Knowledges  the  material  of  Faith, 
178,  which  is  much  the  same  as  Con- 
science, 31 ;  it  ceases  with  Charity, 
21 ;  is  not  producible  by  miracles,  i, 
273  ;  in  its  last  analysis  is  axiomatic, 

ii,  130  ;  blind  and  historical  Faith, 
181  ;  the  Angels  utterly  reject  the 
tenet,  that  we  ought  to  believe  what 
we  do  not  understand,  i,  274,  ii,  180 ; 
Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  God  not  to 
be  compassed  by  reasoning,  but  by 
well-doing,  ii,  547  ;  true  Faith  illus- 
trated in  a  conversation  between  a 
Protestant  and  an  Angel,  185. 

Faith  separated  from  Understanding 
came  in  with  Popery,  ii,  181  ;  Faith 


without  Charity  in  its  nakedness, 
182  ;  Protestant  Faith  illustrated  in 
a  conversation  between  a  Solifidian 
and  an  Angel,  184;  trust  in  Faith 
alone  a  universal  tendency,  186. 

Faith,  Justification  by,  alone,  the  grand 
dogma  of  Protestantism,  ii,  429  ;  its 
prevalence  in  Reformed  Christendom, 
430 ;  its  incredibility,  430 ;  the  dark- 
ness it  has  induced,  433  ;  permitted 
to  prevent  profanation,  ii,  281;  the 
common  people  do  not  enter  into  its 
mysteries,  281. 

Faith,  Professional,  ii,  176-177,  266. 

Familiar  Spirits,  ii,  511,  526. 

Faraday,  i,  96. 

Fathers,  the,  cited  in  proof  that  the 
Animal  Spirits  survive  death,  i,  144; 
and  Schoolmen  exercised  their  in- 
genuity on  mystical  senses  of  Scrip- 
ture, ii,  670. 

Feeling,  the  inversion  of  reality,  i,  169, 
ii,  112,  150,  153,  293;  corrected  by 
Revelation,  i,  334,  ii,  667. 

Fell,  Bishop  of  Oxford,  i,  5. 

Fenelon  as  Pope,  ii,  274. 

Ferelius,  Rev.  Arvid,  Swedish  Chaplain 
in  London  :  Swedenborg  did  not 
wash  for  no  dirt  would  stick  to  him, 
ii,  343  ;  plagued  with  Evil  Spirits 
for  ten  days,  579 ;  St.  Peter  with 
him,  579;  ignorant  of  the  death  of 
his  sister,  580  ;  had  no  peace  in 
church,  581  ;  his  affability,  581  ; 
received  the  Holy  Supper,  586  ; 
what  passed  at  the  ceremony,  587  ; 
Ferelius  officiates  at  the  funeral,  588  ; 
reports  on  Swedenborg  to  the  Swedish 
House  of  Clergy,  589. 

Fetishism  and  Ritualism,  ii,  652. 

Fetter  Lane,  London:  Swedenborg 
lodges  there  with  Brockmer,  i,  219 
ii,  574;  Moravian  Chapel,  i,  219, 
242. 

2  p  2 


572 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Filenius,  Bishop,  causes  the  seizure 
of  Cojijuffial  Ia>v€,  ii,  487 ;  his 
treachery.  437  ;  likened  by  S^eden- 
borg  to  Julas  Iscariot,  488;  plots  to 
have  Swedenborg  confined  as  a  mad- 
man, 495. 

Finch.    Francis   Oliver,   a  heavenly 

character,  ii,  640. 
Finites.  First,  produced  from  Points,  i. 

89.  92  ;  compose  the  Sun  and  all  fire, 
128. 

Finites,  Second,  produced  from  First, 
form  the  First  Element  i,  90,  92, 
128  ;  Animal  Spirits  consist  of, 
135. 

Finites.  Third,  produced  from  Second, 
constitute  the  Second  or  Magnetic 
Element,  i,  90,  92. 

Finites,  Fourth,  produced  from  Third, 
form  the  third  Element  or  Ether,  i, 

90,  92. 

Finites.  Fifth,  produced  from  Fourth, 
compose  the  Fourth  Element  or  Air, 
and  in  closer  compression  "Water  i. 
90,  92. 

Fire,  Hell,  i.  494 

Fire-works.  Biblical,  i.  4o4. 

Flames  appear  to  Swedenborg,  i,  195. 

Flarasteed,  i,  32,  247. 

Flaxman,  John,  ii,  599  ;  a  member  of 
Proud's  congregation,  607  j  fright- 
ened away  by  infernal  squalls.  608  : 
defends  Blake,  613  ;  connection  with 
the  Swedenborg  Society,  633 ;  his 
angelic  character,  640. 

Fletcher  of  Madely.  a  reader  and 
admirer  of  Swedenborg,  ii.  594. 

Florence  visited,  i,  120. 

Folkes.  Martin,  i.  247;  Swedenborg 
converses  with  him  and  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  ii,  225. 

Foreknowledge,  would  take  the  zest 
out  of  life.  ii.  260 ;  the  desire  for  it 
is  from  evil,  261 . 


F'>rm  not  to  be  confounded  with  Shape, 

i.  421  :  F<rm  is  application  to  Use, 

m, 

Form  and  Substance,  God  is  essential, 
and  the  origia  of  all  substances  and 
forms,  ii,  238,  527,  531. 

Fornication,  neutral;  grievous  as  it 
inclines  to  Adulterous,  and  venial  as 
it  inclines  to  Conjugial  Love,  ii.  412; 
with  some  it  is  a  necessity,  413;  to 
whom  the  keeping  of  a  Mistress  is 
allowable,  413;  she  must  be  neither 
Maiden  nor  Wife.  413;  the  relation 
mast  be  kept  physical.  414 :  better 
that  the  torch  of  love  be  lighted  with 
a  wife,  414. 

Fox,  George,  had  no  part  in  Quaker 
abominations,  i,  338. 

France,  externally  united  to  Rome,  but 
disunited,  in  many  respects,  inter- 
nally, ii,  449. 

France.  Swed<.-nborgianism  in.  ii,  646. 

Franciscan  Friars  praying,  fat,  and 
voluptuous,  i,  116. 

Franklin.  Benjamin,  matched  by  Swe- 
denborg, i,  485 ;   their  difference, 

ii,  33. 

Freedom,  its  origin,  i,  425  ;  is  not 
independence,  ii,  552. 

Free- Will,  ascribed  to  the  equilibrium 
between  Heaven  and  Hell,  i,  5<r2  : 
derived  from  God,  502  :  a  sensation  : 
no  more,  ii,  246. 

Frederick  V.  of  Denmark,  among  the 
Happy,  ii,  507. 

Frederick.  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel. 
King  of  Sweden,  i,  53  ;  rough  treat- 
ment by  Bishop  Svedberg.  59  ;  a  foul 
adulterer  after  death,  400. 

Frederick  the  Great,  i,  76  ;  an  admirer 
of  Wolf,  80;  seen  in  vision,  237. 

Frederick  William  of  Prussia,  i,  76; 
persecutes  Wolf,  80. 

French,  Mrs.,  a  female  Diogenes,  ii,  620. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


573 


Frere  on  creation,  i,  172  n. 
Fuller,  Margaret,  i,  324;  ii,  653. 

Games  in  Heaven,  i,  474. 

Garments  of  the  Angels,  i,  438. 

Genealogies  between  Adam  and  Noah 
factitious,  i,  335. 

General  Laws,  i,  275. 

Generation,  order  of  Man's,  ii,  235 ; 
odd  notions  about,  353. 

Generation,  Spontaneous,  ii,  224;  in 
the  Mental  World,  673. 

Genesis,  caps,  i  to  xi,  the  fragment  of 
an  older  Word,  i,  326  ;  creation  as 
described  therein  incredible,  326 ;  the 
narrative  nevertheless  Divine  to  the 
smallest  iota,  327 ;  its  inner  meaning, 
327-348. 

Genevieve,  St.,  i,  118,  ii,  455. 

Genoa  visited,  i,  120. 

Gentiles,  Swedenborg's  experience  of, 
in  the  Spiritual  World,  i,  379  ;  Chinese 
repelled  at  the  name  of  Christ,  380  ; 
in  Heaven,  468 ;  many  better  than 
Christians,  469;  illustrations  of  their 
goodness,  470 ;  the  most  intelligent 
from  Africa,  ii,  9  ;  worship  God  as  a 
Man,  204 ;  may  all  be  saved,  276  ; 
instructed  after  death,  277  ;  use  of 
their  varieties  in  the  Grand  Man,  277. 

Gentiles  and  the  New  Church :  a  New 
Church  commonly  raised  among  the 
Gentiles,  i„  341,  377,  ii,  19  ;  the  New 
Church  will  be  formed  among  the 
Gentiles,  i,  379 ;  Swedenborg  seemed 
to  forget  these  assertions,  ii,  481 ;  the 
Doctrine  of  the  New  Church  dictated 
by  Spirits  in  Central  Africa,  483. 

Gentleman,  the  Devil  fast  becoming, 
and  will  one  day  be  the  perfect,  ii, 
274. 

Gentleman's  Magazine,  i,  48  n,  243,  247, 
ii,  480  n. 

Geology,  Swedenborg's,  i,  61,  63,  67. 


Geometricians,  impotence  of,  i,  95. 

Geometry,  explains  the  world,  i,  85  -86  ; 
some  things  not  explicable  by,  86. 

George  II.,  i,  247  ;  ii,  328,  450,  664 ; 
overhears  from  Heaven  a  conver 
sation  between  Swedenborg  and  some 
English  Bishops,  ii,  303 ;  meets  600 
Clergy,  305  ;  his  earthly  character 
307. 

Germans,  in  the  Last  Judgement,  ii,  8; 

in  the  Spiritual  World,  96. 

Germany,  Swedenborgianism  rare  in 
ii,  647. 

Gilchrist's  Life  of  Wm.  Blake,  ii,  618, 
640. 

Gilpin,  Rev.  Joshua,  ii,  600. 

Girls'  School  in  Heaven,  i,  467. 

Glen,  James,  ii,  600, 610  n;  in  Demerara, 
619  ;  sad  experience  of  Negroes  and 
Indians,  619;  opposed  to  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  620. 

Gnashing  of  Teeth,  the  contests  of 
Devils,  heard  outside  Hell,  i,  496. 

God,  as  the  Infinite,  ii,  203  ;  is  incom- 
prehensible, 527,  532  ;  can  be  seen 
by  no  Man  nor  Angel,  i,  281 ;  delirium 
induced  by  thinking  of  His  Infinity 
from  space  and  time,  ii,  533. 

God,  is  Love  itself  and  Wisdom  itself, 
ii,  165,  196,  197,  242  ;  in  Him  they 
are  one,  535. 

God  is  Life  itself,  ii,  112, 196,  237,  535. 

God  is  Substance  itself  and  Form  itself, 
ii,  197,  216,  527. 

God  is  very  and  essential  Man,  ii,  202 ; 
He  is  the  only  Man,  i,  328,  333  ;  the 
wiser  the  Angels  grow  the  more 
plainly  they  see  He  is  Man,  i,  424  ; 
no  other  idea  of  God  prevails  through 
the  Heavens,  ii,  204;  He  is  wor- 
shipped in  a  Human  Form  by  the 
Gentiles,  ii,  8,  204 ;  from  the  begin- 
ning He  was  Man  in  first  principles  : 
by  incarnation  He  became  Man  in 


574 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


ultimates,  111 ;  unless  He  was  Man. 
He  could  not  have  created  the 
Universe  such  as  it  is,  203. 
God  as  Creator,  ii,  523 ;  He  cannot 
create  Himself  or  breed  gods,  i,  243; 
ii,  529,  552 ;  He  cannot  love  Him- 
self, ii,  248  ;  being  love  He  is  bound 
to  create  and  love  what  is  not  Him- 
self, 199  ;  He  appears  as  the  Sun  of 
Heaven,  207  ;  He  created  the  Uni- 
verse from  Himself  by  this  Sun, 
534  ;  yet  there  is  nothing  of  Himself 
in  Creation,  ii,  198,  212;  which  is 
dead,  200  ;  Space  and  Time  begin 
with  Creation,  and  are  not  in  Him, 
206,  532,  533;  to  Him  the  future 
is  present,  and  the  present  eternal, 
297. 

God  is  everywhere  the  same :  He  is 
varied  as  uttered  by  created  re- 
ceivers, i,  279;  ii,  201,  210,  537, 
554,  553 ;  every  created  thing  is  a 
recipient  of  God  by  contiguity,  not 
continuity,  ii,  212. 

God  in  relation  to  Man  :  in  himself 
Man  is  dead,  ii,  112  ;  it  is  God's 
passion  to  animate  the  Finite  with 
Himself,  244 ;  He  vivifies  Man  by 
His  presence,  552  ;  He  is  present 
with  every  Man,  Angel,  and  Devil: 
without  Him  none  could  will  or 
think:  proved  by  experiments  in 
the  Spiritual  World,  572 ;  He  is 
the  life  of  the  Wicked,  286  ;  His 
presence  in  Hell,  537,  538,  539 ;  He 
gives  Himself  so  unreservedly  to 
Man  that  he  feels  His  Life  as  his 
own,  ii,  201,  262;  God  alone  acts: 
Man  suffers  himself  to  be  acted  on, 
and  co-operates  as  of  himself  though 
really  from  God,  559  ;  God  dwells  as 
Love  in  Man's  Will,  and  as  Wisdom 
in  his  Understanding,  i,  169  ;  ii,  226; 
Love  and  Wisdom  God's  presence 


in  Man,  165,  539,  540;  as  God  is 
the  only  Man  manhood  is  the  evi- 
dence of  His  presence,  i,  328,  333  ; 
whilst  God  is  Man's  life  Man  is  not 
God.  and  the  idea  that  He  is  diffused 
in  Men  is  an  execrable  heresy,  ii, 
199-200;  Henry  James  on  the 
matter,  654 ;  see  also  066-668. 

God  in  His  Providence :  His  Omni- 
potence cannot  be  understood  until 
it  is  known  that  He  is  Order,  ii,  536 ; 
the  end  of  His  Providence  is  a 
Heaven  out  of  the  Human  Race, 
242 :  He  neither  curses,  nor  is  an- 
gry, 290 ;  why  He  will  not  guide 
Man  outwardly,  252 ;  He  is  ever 
resisting  Man,  261 ;  His  govern- 
ment of  the  Wicked,  286-287 ;  He 
is  denied  throughout  Hell,  i,  498. 

God  as  known  to  Man:  He  must  be 
acknowledged  from  things  finite,  ii, 
532  ;  He  conjoins  Himself  with 
Men  through  finite  appearances, 
i,  282 ;  thus  He  is  seen  by  Angels 
as  their  Sun,  and  sometimes  in  the 
possession  of  an  Angel,  283 ;  He 
made  Himself  known  in  Angels  to 
the  Adamites,  to  Abraham.  Hagar, 
Lot,  Gideon,  Joshua,  the  Prophets, 
and  others,  283  ;  and  to  Swedenborg, 
284;  to  think  of  Him  personally 
is  to  think  of  Him  materially,  ii, 
169  ;  He  is  not  to  be  served  person- 
ally, but  in  His  creatures,  549;  a 
right  idea  of  God  acquired  from  the 
true  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  545 ; 
with  those  who  think  of  Him  as 
three  persons  He  is  little  else  than  a 
name,  524 ;  unless  He  was  one  the 
Universe  could  not  have  been  crea- 
ted, nor  preserved,  525  ;  the  worship 
of  three  persons  leads  to  Atheism, 
526;  none  of  the  four  Churches 
understood  God  aright :  the  New 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


575 


Church  will  -worship  truly  the  in- 
visible in  the  visible  Lord,  566. 

Goethe,  on  heavenly  friendship,  i, 
41 3  n ;  on  colours,  ii,  59  ;  his  solita- 
riness, 671. 

Goldsmith,  Oliver,  i,  322,  382,  ii,  478. 

Goodness,  the  base  of  all  Wisdom,  i, 
442  ;  its  universal  relations  to  Truth, 
ii,  22;  confesses  God,  137;  loves 
truths,  172,  and  multiplies  them, 
173  ;  Goodness  is  the  Lord  in  Man, 
288;  every  Good  has  its  opposite 
Evil,  i,  486  ;  Good  knows  Evil,  but 
Evil  knows  not  Good,  ii,  408 ;  how 
a  Man  procures  Goodness,  ii,  187. 

Gottenburg,  Swedenborg  sees  a  fire  at 
Stockholm  from,  ii,  61. 

Gottenburg  Consistory,  Swedenborg 
attacked  in,  ii,  444 ;  commanded  to 
render  an  account  of  his  doctrines, 
490;  slow  about  it,  491. 

Government  in  Heaven,  i,  471. 

Government  of  Hell,  by  the  Lord  and 
His  Angels,  i,  498;  the  whip  the 
sceptre,  493. 

Government,  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil, 
ii,  43 ;  has  a  right  to  repress  im- 
proper opinion,  i,  81,  ii,  45,  255. 

Goyder,  D.  G.,  ii,  640  n. 

Grace,  the  affection  of  Truth  for  its 
own  sake,  ii,  174 ;  Swedenborg 
possessed  it,  334. 

Grand  Man,  Heaven  is  a,  i,  419 ;  a 
plenary  correspondence  between 
Heaven  and  Man,  ii,  538 ;  the 
World  of  Spirits  his  stomach,  ii,  7 ; 
Angels  and  Men  unite  to  constitute 
him,  130 ;  how  diverse  religions 
contribute  to  his  perfection,  277 ; 
Kant  on,  ii,  72  ;  Southey  on,  626. 

Greek  Church,  ii,  428 ;  in  error  in 
ascribing  to  God  the  communication 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  ii,  543. 

Green,  Mr.,  ii,  69  n. 


Grills  of  Amsterdam,  ii,  424. 
Grimm,  Baron,  ii,  67. 
Grindon,  L.  H.,  ii,  641. 
Guillaume,  an  affected  preacher,  i,  118. 
Guizot  on  the  Bible,  ii,  142. 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  an  adulterer,  i, 
401. 

Gustavus  Vasa,  an  idiot  in  Hell,  i,  401. 

Gyllenborg,  Count  Frederick,  travels 
with  Swedenborg,  i,  76. 

Gyllenborg,  Countess,  Swedenborg's 
wife  in  waiting  for  him  in  the 
Spiritual  World,  ii,  500,  573. 

Hallenius,  Bishop,  brought  to  repent- 
ance by  Swedenborg,  ii,  79. 

Haller  on  the  Animal  Spirits,  i,  132. 

Halley,  Edmund,  i,  32,  60,  247. 

Ham,  signifies  corrupt  internal  wor- 
ship, i,  342. 

Hamburg,  visited,  i,  199  ;  its  inhabi- 
tants in  the  Spiritual  World,  ii,  98. 

Hamilton,  Sir  William,  quoted,  ii,  658. 

Hampe,  Dr.  ii,  481. 

Hands,  examined  by  Angels,  i,  410. 

Happiness  :  Who  is  happiest  ?  i,  451. 

Hargrove,  John,  ii,  627  n,  635  n. 

Harle,  Auguste,  ii,  646. 

Harrison,  Capt.,  ii,  331. 

Harrison,  George,  ii,  592  n ;  an  able 
lawyer,  620 ;  translator  of  Sweden- 
borg, 621 ;  disowned  by  the  Quakers, 
621 ;  his  Life  of  Clowes,  622  n  ;  hi3 
meetings  at  Hawkstone,  631. 

Harrison,  John,  his  chronometer,  ii, 
327. 

Hart,  E.,  Swedenborg's  London  printer, 
i,  382,  ii,  309  n;  dies,  and  is  seen  in 
the  Spiritual  World,  581. 

Hartley's  vibrations,  i,  175,  176. 

Hartley,  Rev.  Thomas,  Swedenborg's 
autobiographical  letter  to,  i,  250,  ii, 
481 ;  Wm.  Law's  letter  to,  i,  320 ; 
converted  to  Swedenborg,  ii,  480; 


576 


INDEX  Tu  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


translates  De  Commercio,  480:  testi- 
mony concerning  Swedenborg,  480 : 
visits  him  with  Cookworthy,  583,  : 
with  Messiter,  584  ;  addresses  to  him 
questions  on  the  Trinity,  583 ;  ne- 
gleets  to  see  him  in  his  last  illness, 
586;  revises,  Cookworthy' s  Heaven 
and  Hell,  and  dies,  592 ;  introduces 
Swedenborg's  writings  to  Houghton, 
593. 

Hats  and  Caps.  Swedish  political  fac- 
tions, ii,  81. 

Hawkins,  Isaac,  ii.  593. 

Hawkins.  John  Isaac,  on  the  expulsion 
of  Hindmarsh  from  his  own  Jeru- 
salem, ii,  603. 

Hawkstone  Park,  ii,  631. 

Haworth,  Adam,  ii,  631  n. 

Hawthorne.  Nathaniel,  on  the  mystery 
of  evil,  ii,  284  n. 

HazeL  Baron,  ii,  580  n. 

Heart,  derived  from  the  Brain  and  re- 
presents the  Will,  i,  418. 

Heat  corresponds  to  Love,  ii,   209,  I 
217. 

Heat,  Vital,  derived  from  the  .Spiritual 
Sun,  ii,  228. 

Heaven,  the  Lord  is,  i,  424,  ii,  34,  166,  | 
243;  is  Love  of  the  Lord  and  the 
Neighbour,  i,  451-452.  ii,  38;  all  i 
belong  to  Heaven  who  love  goodness 
and  trutli  for  their  own  sakes,  i,  443 ; 
character  of  the  heavenly  multitude, 
i,  405. 

Heaven,  two  Kingdoms  of,  i,  417;  di-  j 
vided  into  three  Heavens,  416,  418,  ; 
because  in  God  there  is  a  trinity,  ii, 
213;  characteristics  of  the  third  or  j 
inmost  Heaven,  the  second  or  middle 
■ad  the  first  or  outmost,  i,  417; 
consists  of  innumerable  Societies, 
414  ;  Heaven  is  a  Grand  Man,  and 
each  of  its  Societies  a  Man  because 
the  Lord  is  Man,  419-425,  ii,  538  ;  no  j 


idea  of  God  throughout  Heaven,  but 
as  of  Man,  ii,  204 ;  each  Angel  has 
l  is  place  according  to  his  idea  of 

God,  545. 

Heaven,  the  Lord  appears  as  its  Sun, 
i.  420,  to  which  the  Angels  constantly 
turn.  428  ;  Times  and  Seasons  there, 
428;  no  fixed  Times,  429;  nor 
Spaces,  431  :  Homes,  432  ;  Palaces, 
433  ;  to  grow  old  is  to  grow  young 
in  Heaven,  436 ;  Marriages,  436 ;  a 
wedding  witnessed,  ii,  353;  Husband 
and  Wife  are  called  one  Angel,  378  ; 
a  Couple  seen  as  one.  405 ;  Celibates 
dwell  on  the  sides  of  Heaven,  ii, 
361 ;  Garments  of  the  Angels,  i, 
438 ;  their  Power,  438 ;  their  Wis- 
dom, 440;  their  Worship,  445  :  their 
Innocence,  448;  their  Peace  and 
Happiness.  451  :  their  f  licities  infi- 
nite and  indescribable,  ii,  243  ;  their 
Language.  454 :  their  Writings,  464  ; 
all  Infants  go  to  Heaven,  466,  and 
constitute  a  third  part  of  it,  468  ; 
Gentiles  in,  468-471 ;  Governments 
of,  471 ;  Employments  in,  473  ;  its 
immensity,  475;  its  perfection  in- 
creases with  numbers,  476 ;  Cha- 
racter the  only  passport  to  Heaven, 
477  ;  not  so  difficult  to  qualify  for 
Heaven,  479-482 ;  Rich  enter  as 
e.isilv  as  the  Po  >r,  4^2. 

Heaven,  has  Earth  for  its  seminary,  i, 
145,  ii,  4;  based  in  man,  i,  459,  ii, 
4  ;  Angel?  and  Men  one  Man,  ii,  130 ; 
thtir  c  injunction  by  the  Word,  i, 
463;  Heaven  essential  to  Man's 
life,  ii,  291 ;  Heaven  cannot  exist 
apart  from  the  Church,  ii,  220 ;  con- 
sequences of  this  interdependence,  i, 
368.  380-381 ;  the  connection  almost 
broken  when  the  Lord  came,  ii,  106. 
Iftaren  and  Hell  [De  Oelo  et  de 
Inferno),  reviewed,  i,  405-505;  not 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


577 


drawn  out  of  Swedenborg's  brain,  I 
ii,  662. 

Heaven,  divided  from  Hell,  ii,  266 ;  | 

balanced  by  Hell,  i,  501,  ii,  241 ; 

governs  Hell,  ii,  287. 
Heavens,  which  passed  away  at  the 

Last  Judgement,   ii,  7,  14;  why 

tolerated,  15-16. 
Hebrew  studied  by  Swedenborg,  i,  249 ; 

what  fools  some  Hebraists  are,  301 ; 

Hebrew  has  some  affinities  with 

angelic  speech  and  writing,  456, 

465. 

Heernhutters,  i,  383. 

Hell,  defined,  i,  405,  486  ;  is  the  Love 
of  Self  and  the  World,  451-452,  491, 
ii,  38  ;  as  mischievous  is  Self-Love 
out  of  service,  ii,  554. 

Hell,  composed  of  as  many  Societies 
as  Heaven,  i,  486 ;  three  Hells 
answer  to  the  three  Heavens,  487 ; 
Hells  everywhere  beneath  the  World 
of  Spirits,  413,  487  ;  Scenes  and 
Scenery  of,  490  ;  their  Darkness, 
493  ;  their  Light  as  of  charcoal  and 
sulphur,  493 ;  their  Fires,  494 ;  their 
Stenches,  41 3 ;  when  opened  fire  and 
smoke  are  seen  emitted  by  the  Angels, 
495  ;  how  new  Spirits  are  received  in 
Hell,  496 ;  Hell  not  horrible  to  its 
inmates,  492 ;  none  sent  shrieking 
there,  ii,  295  ;  a  hopeless  Hell  grown 
incredible,  296 ;  foolish  to  scold  or 
moan  over  it,  551,  553 ;  as  a  whole 
is  called  Satan  and  the  Devil,  i,  497  ; 
also  Adultery,  ii,  408,  412. 

Hell,  based  in  Man,  ii,  5 ;  manifested 
in  Evil  Uses,  ii,  223 ;  the  origin  of 
all  Diseases,  339  ;  essential  to  Man's 
life,  291  ;  had  grown  supreme  over 
Man  when  the  Lord  came,  106 ; 
turned  to  Use,  i,  498,  500,  ii,  272  ; 
governed  by  Heaven,  ii,  241,  287, 
289  ;  subject  to  God's  love,  537. 


|  Hell- Fire  is  Self-Love,  i,  495. 
I  Herbert,  George,  quoted,  i,  270. 
J  Heresy,  salvation  possible  under  any, 
ii,  282  ;  every  Heresy  is  a  truth 
exaggerated  or  incomplete,  623. 
Herschel,  Sir  John,  on  realities  and 

appearances,  i,  362. 
Hesse-Darmstadt,  Landgrave  of,  cor- 
respondence with  Swedenborg,  ii, 
518-520. 

Hessel,  John,  travels  with  Swedenborg, 

i,  63,  67,  69,  201. 
Hessel,  Peter,  i,  112. 
Hessel,  Sara,  prompts  Swedenborg  to 

suicide,  i,  309. 
Hieroglyphic  Ke  y  ( Clavis  Hieroglyphica) 

i,  192. 
Highs  of  Leigh,  ii,  619. 
Hill,  Rev.  W.,  translator  of  Apocdlypsis 

Explicata,  ii,  597. 
Hindmarsh,  James,  ii,  593,  600 ;  first 
preacher  in  his  son's  Jerusalem,  601. 
Hindmarsh,  Robert,  printer,  Clerken- 
well,  London,  tries  to  discredit 
Mathesius,  i,  225-227 ;  prints  Apo- 
calypsis JSxplicata,  ii,  309  n  ;  meets 
with  Swedenborg's  writings,  in- 
stantly perceives  their  heavenly 
origin,  and  commences  to  proselytise, 
598;  holds  meetings  in  New  Court, 
Middle  Temple :  list  of  some  who 
used  to  attend,  599 ;  determines  to 
start  a  Church,  16  assemble  in  the 
Poultry  and  baptize  and  receive  the 
Holy  Supper,  600 ;  a  chapel  opened 
in  Eastcheap,  601  ;  a  Priesthood 
established  by  lottery  which  casts 
R.  H.  uppermost :  his  account  of  the 
transaction,  601 ;  ordains  his  father 
and  Sam.  Smith,  602  ;  expelled  from 
his  Church  forimmoral  opinions,  603 ; 
his  smart  revenge,  604  ;  holds  a 
Conference  and  draws  up  a  constitu- 
tion for  the  New  Jerusalem,  604  ; 


578 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


forges  the  Divine  Name,  G05 ;  closes 
his  chapel,  605  ;  brings  Proud  to 
London,  but  they  quarrel,  607-608  ; 
sinks  into  spiritual  indifference, 
leaves  his  types,  and  turns  stock- 
jobber, 610,  627  ;  preaches  in  Man- 
chester, 611;  death  and  character, 
612  ;  his  lottery  and  ordination  pro- 
nounced under  '  the  Divine  Auspices' 
by  the  Swedenborgian  Conference, 
628. 

History,  God  revealed  in,  ii,  140;  ex- 
haustive impossible,  140. 

Hobbes,  i,  332 ;  quoted,  422,  ii,  565  n. 

Hodson,  Capt.,  ii,  331. 

Holiness  in  ignorance,  ii,  666. 

Holmfeld,  Baron  C.  Dirckinck,  i,  197 n; 
ii,  73  n. 

Holy  Alliance,  ii,  613. 

Holy  Spirit,  a  consequence  of  the 
incarnation,  ii,  107,  113;  not  a 
Person,  nor  the  Spirit  of  the  Infinite 
Jehovah,  but  the  effluence  from  Jesus 
Christ,  543;  which  is  an  arcanum 
never  before  revealed  to  the  world, 
544  ;  the  Holy  Spirit  present  with 
every  man,  572. 

Holy  Supper,  signification  and  uses,  ii, 
37,  563. 

Hoogs,  the  Misses,  ii,  424. 

Hopes,  bankers  of  Amsterdam,  ii,  422, 
424,  588. 

Hopken,  Count,  opinion  of  Sweden- 
borg's  services  in  the  Diet,  ii,  79  ; 
selections  from  his  letters,  84-86 ; 
reveals  to  Swcdenborg  a  conspiracy 
against  him,  495  ;  remonstrates  with 
him  on  his  spiritual  stories,  570. 

Home,  Baron,  executed,  i,  403. 

Horse,  the,  represents  the  Understand- 
ing, ii,  50;  in  Greek  mythology,  51 ; 
paper  on  the  correspondence  sent  to 
the  Stockholm  Academy  of  Sciences, 
497. 


Houghton,  Richard,  and  Wesley,  ii, 

593,  and  Clowes.  594. 
Human  Pace  will  endure  for  ever, 

ii,  4. 

Humboldt,  on  human  beauty,  ii,  365  n. 
Hume,  David,  i,  175. 
Hume,  Joseph,  ii,  616. 
Hume,  Miss  M.  C,  Life  of  2VO,  ii,  617. 
Humility,  the  scientific  reason  for,  ii, 
668. 

Hunt,  Leigh,  Abou  Ben  Adhem,  ii,  169. 

Husband  and  Wife,  after  death,  ii,  360, 
381 ;  in  Heaven  are  called  one  Angel, 
377;  together  they  consummate  Man, 

378. 

Hutchinsonianism.  i,  313. 

Hypocrites,  punished  by  cirenmrota- 
tion,  i,  298;  horrible  appearance  of, 
308  ;  change  most  slowly  in  the 
World  of  Spirits,  409 ;  cause  tooth- 
ache, 393,  ii,  339. 

Hypotheses,  monsters  of,  bred  from 
synthesis  or  deductive  reasoning,  i, 
153. 

Idolatry,  origin  of,  i,  347,  ii,  497 ; 

query  as  to  the  universal  truth  of  the 

statement,  i,  347  n. 
Ignorance  the  abode  of  holiness,  ii, 

666. 

Illusions,  induced  by  Spirits,  i,  168; 
fantasies  are  to  Spirits  as  realities, 
197  n;  the  Spiritual  World  the  realm 
of.  532,  ii,  663. 

Imagination,  is  not  creation,  but  the 
combination  of  experiences,  ii,  662. 

Immortality,  derived  from  God's  in- 
dwelling, i,  143;  Aristotle  cited  in 
proof,  146. 

Imputation  :  God  imputes  neither  Good 
nor  Evil  to  Man,  ii,  553 ;  imputed 
righteousness  unknown  in  the  Apos- 
tolic Church,  and  nowhere  declared 
in  the  Word,  561. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


579 


Incarnation,  Divine,  reasons  for,  ii, 
540-541 .    See  Mary. 

Independence,  an  illusion,  i,  169,  ii, 
247,  262 ;  the  prime  fallacy  of 
human  thought,  ii,  112;  the  glory  of 
the  Wicked,  294  ;  how  carefully  the 
Lord  maintains  Man's  sense  of,  248, 
259 ;  the  origin  of  all  the  errors  of 
the  Church  has  been,  that  Men  live 
of  themselves,  573. 

Inductive  Method  commended,  i,  152, 
154. 

Infants,  all  go  to  Heaven  after  death, 

i,  466  ;  are  in  themselves  nothing 
but  Evil,  466 ;  a  girls'  school,  467 ; 
a  third  of  Heaven  from  Infants, 
468;  children's  games  in  Heaven, 
474. 

Infinite,  the,  cannot  be  geometrically 
explored,  i,  86 ;  the  Point  mediates 
between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite, 
89 ;  the  Infinite  the  difficulty  of 
philosophy,  99  ;  the  Finite — and  the 
philosopher  is  finite — can  make  no 
approach  to  it,  100 ;  the  Infinite 
impossible  in  Nature,  101 ;  a  con- 
fession of  the  Infinite  extorted,  102, 
103;  philosopher  and  rustic  equally 
ignorant  of  the  Infinite,  103;  Nexus 
between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite, 
103 ;  Jesus  Christ  pronounced  that 
Nexus,  104;  Kevelation  resorted  to 
in  perplexity,  104-105. 

Infinite,  The  (Prodromus  PhilosopJrice 
Batiocinantis  de  Infinite  et  Causa 
Finali  Creationis),  written,  i,  79 ; 
reviewed,  98-105. 

Infinite,  the,  ii,  203 ;  imaged  in  the 
variety  of  Creation,  244;  finite  things 
receive  and  shew  it  forth,  534 ;  in- 
comprehensible, 531. 

Influx,  explained:  a  dangerous  word, 

ii,  166;  all  man  has  comes  by, 
290. 


Influx,  Physical,  ii,  460 ;  the  hypo- 
thesis of  the  Materialist,  462. 

Influx,  Spiritual,  ii,  460;  adopted  by 
Swedenborg,  463 ;  the  hypothesis 
stated,  463 ;  ignorance,  which  he 
removes,  hinders  its  reception,  and 
for  this  end  the  Lord  has  opened  his 
spiritual  eyes,  464;  this  Influx  illus- 
trated, 466. 

Innocence,  defined,  i,  448 ;  in  essence 
is  confidence  in  the  Lord,  449 ;  one 
with  Wisdom  and  the  measure  of 
Heaven,  450;  sweetness  of  its  sphere, 
451  ;  the  Lord  is  present  in  Infants 
as  Innocence,  ii,  402. 

Intellectual  Repository,  described,  ii, 
631 ;  its  opinion  of  the  English 
Church,  631. 

Intemperance,  stink  of,  ii,  577. 

Intercourse  hetween  the  Soul  and  the 
Body,  a  piece  of  materialism,  i,  105 ; 
advance  on,  141,  ii,  460. 

Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the 
Body  {De  Commercio,  c&c),  reviewed, 
ii,  460-477. 

Intercourse  with  Spirits,  its  perils  at 
this  day,  i,  305,  461-462,  ii,  519; 
limited  by  the  medium's  memory, 
i,  458-459 ;  closed :  Swedenborg 
declines  to  serve  Collin,  ii,  345;  he 
tells  Ferelius  anybody  might  enjoy 
it,  580 ;  his  testimony  on  this  head 
variable,  580  n. 

Internal  and  External  Man,  ii,  23 ; 
Internal  Man  is  Mutual  Love  and 
is  the  Lord,  150  n. 

Intuitive  Ideas,  disowned  by  Sweden- 
borg, ii,  135;  contrary  to  experience, 
136. 

Inventory,  a  mysterious,  ii,  573. 
Invitatio  ad  Novam  Ecclesiam,  ii,  572. 
Ireland,    chastity  of  its  women,  ii, 

419 ;  few  Swedenborgians  in,  630. 
Ireton,  Bridget,  ii,  370  n. 


580 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Irving,  Edward,  quoted,  i,  370  7?, 
372  n,  ii,  142 ;  his  audiences  in  Cross 
Street,  equalled  by  Proud' s,  ii,  608  n. 

Isaksson,  Daniel,  i,  1. 

Italians  compared  with  Englishmen, 
ii,  57  ;  Neapolitans  the  worst,  451. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  ii,  274. 

Jacob,  the  type  of  the  Jews,  i,  350; 
explanation  of  his  wrestling  with  an 
Angel,  361 ;  his  service  for  Rachel, 
430. 

James,  Henry,  on  God's  Infinite  Love 
and  Wisdom,  ii,  199 ;  love's  life  an 
eternal  seeking,  243  ;  the  misuse  of 
the  Devil,  273;  the  wickedness  and 
mischiefs  of  celibacy,  373  ;  the  hor- 
rors and  absurdities  of  the  orthodox 
atonement,  432  ;  glib  confession  of 
sins  at  prayer  meetings,  555;  esti- 
mate of  Swedenborg,  653  ;  himself 
an  original  thinker,  653;  list  of  some 
of  his  books,  656  n. 

James,  St.,  on  keeping  and  breaking 
the  Law,  ii,  435. 

Jansenists  and  Calvinism,  ii,  428. 

Japheth  signifies  true  external  worship, 

i,  342. 

Jasher,  Book  of,  i,  340,  350. 
Jealousy,  the  anger  of  Conjugial  Love, 

ii,  398 ;  its  varieties,  good  and  bad, 
398-401. 

Jehovah,  unknown  to  Abraham,  i, 
349 ;  forgotten  by  the  Israelites  in 
Egypt,  351  ;  worshipped  by  them  as 
the  greatest  of  gods,  351  ;  was  seen 
by  Moses  as  an  aged  bearded  man,  j 
and  so  thought  of  by  the  Jews,  352. 

Jeremiah,  describes  the  manner  of  his 
inspiration,  ii,  119. 

Jernfeldt,  killed  by  Charles  XL,  i,  12. 

J-suit,  secretly  an  Atheist,  ii,  411. 

Jesuits  and  Arminianism,  ii,  428. 

Jesus  Christ,  His  Soul  God,  His  Body 


Man,  ii,  103;  if  He  be  not  God, 
What  is  God?   117;   in  Him  we 
worship  God  as  Man,  205;  the  per- 
fect exhibition   of    Divine  Truth 
under  human  conditions,  547. 
Jews,  Swedenborg,  wishes  to  appear 
as  their  Messiah,  i,  222  ;  two  steal 
his  watch,  233. 
Jews,  the  basest  and  most  sensual  of 
mankind,  i,  351,  ii,  104;  for  this 
cause  chosen  as   the  field  of  re- 
demption,  370-72  ;   idolators,  and 
their  worship  of  Jehovah  idolatrous, 
i,  351,  366;  ignorant  of  a  future 
life,  352  ;  utter  materialists,  353  ;  in- 
tense avarice,   353 ;  contempt  for 
other  peoples,  354  ;  cruelty,  355 ;  in 
what  sense  they  were  chosen,  356; 
unique  qualifications  for  a  Repre- 
sentative Church,  357,  367  ;  expla- 
nation of  the   destruction  of  the 
Canaanites,  359;  ignorant  of  their 
own  symbolism,  365;  this  ignorance 
permitted  toavert  profanation, 366,  ii, 
282  ;  if  converted  scoff  inwardly  at 
what  they  profess,  i,  367  ;  their  pre- 
ference of  things  to  ideas,  ii,  142  ; 
why  polygamy  was  allowed  among 
them,  397. 
Jews,  in  the  Spiritual  World,  ii,  98 ; 
case  of  one  who  could  not  believe 
he  had  died,  i,  407. 
Jewish  Church,  began  in  Abraham, 
extinguished  in  Egypt,  i,  349,  wholly 
representative,  357,  362  ;  rituals  em- 
braced the  arcana  of  the  Christian 
Church,   364,    peculiar  use,   367  ; 
abolished  at  the  Lord's  advent,  372. 
Jewish  History,  the  Word  and  holy  in 
every  letter,  i,  363;  God  and  Heaven 
revealed  in  if,  365  ;  why  chosen  for 
this  purpose,  ii,  139,  142. 
Jezebel,  ii,  312. 
Job,  Book  of,  ii,  53. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


581 


John,  St.,  on  the  Divine  Presence,  i, 
270  ;  as  politician,  ii,  274  ;  Sweden- 
borg spoke  with  him  three  times, 
334. 

Johnson,  Dr.,  i,  32,  247,  382,  ii,  56, 
418  n ;  on  apparitions,  i,  265 ;  on 
Wesley,  ii,  585. 

Joubert,  quoted,  ii,  659. 

Judas  Iscariot,  why  chosen,  ii,  275; 
568. 

Judgement,  effected  on  the  Soul  by 
itself,  i,  144;  in  the  World  of  Spirits 
with  cases,  409-41 1  ; 

Jupiter  described,  i,  511-516. 

Justification  by  Faith  is  being  made 
just  by  truth,  ii,  435. 

Kant,  Immanuel,  i,  175,  ii,  100,  459, 
460  ;  his  story  of  Swedenborg's 
vision  of  the  fire  at  Stockholm  from 
Gottenburg,  ii,  61  ;  story  of  the  lost 
receipt,  64  ;  letter  testifying  to  Swe- 
denborg's clairvoyance,  68  ;  a  wrong 
date  ascribed  to  this  letter,  70,  73 ; 
his  jealousy  of  Swedenborg  finds 
vent  in  a  pamphlet,  70  ;  criticism  of 
Arcana  Cozlestia,  71  ;  letter  of  re- 
pentance, 73. 

Kahl,  Dr.,  ii,  500. 

Kennicott,  Dr.,  ii,  120. 

Kepler,  vortices,  i,  97. 

Kingdoms  of  Heaven  are  two,  i,  417 ; 
appearance  of  the  Sun  in  each, 
426. 

Kingsley,  Rev.  Charles,  on  Sweden- 
borg's science,  i,  180. 

Klemming,  G.  E.,  ii,  90,  573  ;  discovers 
and  prints  Swedenborg's  Dreams,  i, 
197. 

Klopstock  visits  Swedenborg,  ii,  508. 
Knobloch,  Charlotte,  andj£ant,  ii,  68. 
Knowledges,  the  material  of  Faith,  ii, 

178;  supplied  after  death,  179;  the 

bases  of  ideas,  530. 


Knox,  Alexander,  on  Zinzendorf,  i, 
385  n. 

Konauw,  Madame,  has  Swedenborg  to 

dinner,  ii,  424. 
Koran  and  the  Bible,  ii,  120. 
Kryger  entertains  Swedenborg,  i,  289. 

Lackington  on  the  Sweden  borgians, 

ii,  625. 
Lamb,  Charles,  ii,  56. 
Lancisi,  i,  125. 

Language  of  Heaven,  i,  6 ;  a  universal 
speech,  454 ;  its  mode  and  expressive- 
ness, 455 ;  has  nothing  in  common 
with  human  speech,  456. 

Language  of  Devils  affects  Angels  as 
a  stench,  i,  456. 

La  Nouvelle  Jerusalem,  ii,  646. 

Laplace,  i,  96. 

Last  Judgement  {De  Ultimo  Jndicio), 
reviewed,  ii,  3-19. 

Last  Judgement,  Continuation  of  ( Con- 
tinuatio  de  Ultimo  Judicio)  reviewed, 
ii,  191-195. 

Last  Judgement,  near  at  hand,  i,  377  ; 
took  place,  1757 ;  its  scene  the 
World  of  Spirits,  ii,  2-4  ;  witnessed 
by  Swedenborg,  7,  565  ;  former 
Judgements,  8;  judgement  of  Ma- 
hometans and  Gentiles,  8  ;  of  Catho- 
lics, 12  ;  of  Protestants,  14,  191  ; 
results,  15-19  ;  predominance  of  Hell 
over  Heaven  altogether  destroyed, 
116;  the  story  repeated  in  the  ex- 
positions of  the  Apocalypse,  311. 

Lavater,  writes  to  Swedenborg,  ii, 
455;  again,  458;  read  and  profited 
by  his  writings,  459. 

Law,  William,  i,  312;  ii,  669 ;  opinion 
of  Arcana  Cozlestia,  i,  320. 

Leavitt,  Samuel,  on  intercourse  with 
Spirits,  i,  462. 

Leeuwenhoek,  i,  125,  135  ;  after  death, 
ii,  96. 


582 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Leibnitz,  i,  40,  82,  97;  ii,  461,  669; 

after  death,  ii,  475. 
Leslie,  painter,  ii,  293. 
Leszczynski,  Maria,  Queen  of  France, 

ii,  424. 

Level  of  the  Sea  and  great  Tides  of  the 
Ancient  World,  i,  61. 

Lewes,  G.  H.,  quoted,  i,  413  w;  mis- 
represents Kant,  ii,  74;  on  the  per- 
petualness  of  Creation,  225 ;  on  the 
smallness  of  Evil,  285 ;  on  Pre- 
Established  Harmony,  461. 

Lewis,  John,  i,  382;  ii,  309  n,  578; 
publishes  Arcana  Cozlestia,  i,  310; 
his  advertisement  of,  311-319. 

Lewis,  Mrs.,  thinks  Swedenborg  too 
apt  to  spiritualize,  i,  383;  on  his 
diet,  ii,  576  n. 

Liberty,  derived  from  God,  i,  333 ;  ii, 
239,  247 ;  appears  to  be  Man's,  i, 
334 ;  but  has  no  validity  beyond 
sensation,  ii,  247  ;  is  the  freedom  of 
Love,  and  various  as  Love,  ii,  32, 
245,  246 ;  its  double  origin  in  God 
and  the  equilibrium  of  Heaven  and 
Hell,  i,  501;  ii,  241,  554;  God's 
care  of  Man's  sense  of  Liberty,  ii, 
252. 

Life,  Doctrine  of  {Doctrina  Vito3,  &c), 
reviewed,  ii,  144-151. 

Life,  cannot  be  created,  i,  143  ;  God  is 
Life,  146;  ii,  654,  666;  Man  has 
none  in  himself,  ii,  112;  Life  is 
Love,  24,  196;  God  alone  acts  :  Man 
is  acted  on,  and  re-acts  as  of  himself, 
559 ;  the  errors  of  the  Church  all 
spring  from  the  notion  that  Men 
live  of  themselves,  573. 

Light,  intensity  in  Heaven,  i,  262  ; 
its  modifications  there,  426  ;  corre- 
sponds to  wisdom,  ii,  209,  217. 

Liudgren,  ii,  5S8. 

Lindsey,  Theophilus,  i,  388,  391. 

Linnaeus  and  Swedenborg,  ii,  351. 


Literal  Sense  of  the  Word,  the  envelope 
of  the  higher  Senses,  ii,  124 ;  con- 
tians  Divine  Truth  in  its  fulness, 
holiness,  and  power,  124;  Doctrine 
must  be  drawn  from  and  confirmed 
by  it,  124 ;  accommodated  to  the 
Sensual  Man,  126  ;  a  fence  against 
profanation,  130. 

Locke,  i,  130. 

London  in  1710,  i,  31;  in  1744-45,  247; 
in  the  Spiritual  World,  ii,  56. 

Longitude,  rewards  offered  for  discovery 
of,  i,  45,  ii,  327. 

Longitude,  New  Method  of  Finding  by 
Lunar  Observations,  i,  32,  34,  60, 
64,  66,  ii,  308,  327. 

Lord,  Doctrine  of  ( Doctrina  Novaz 
Hierosolymoz  de  Domino)  reviewed 
ii,  103-117. 

Lord,  the,  the  Redeemer,  ii,  540 ;  the 
whole  Scriptures  treat  of  Him,  i, 
363,  ii,  103  ;  assumed  humanity  to 
reach  Evil,  ii,  540 ;  passed  through 
all  stages  of  growth,  542 ;  why  born 
on  this  Earth,  i,  521 ;  came  to  reduce 
Heaven  and  Earth  to  order  by  com- 
bats against  the  Hells,  ii,  105 ;  the 
two  purposes  of  His  advent,  106; 
assumed  humanity  in  its  worst  form, 
i,  370  ;  gradually  put  off  the  body 
from  Mary  until  God  stood  revealed, 

i,  371,  ii,  108,  543  ;  explanation  of 
His  double  consciousness,  ii,  111; 
peculiarity  of  His  resurrection,  110  ; 
the  Holy  hfpirit  the  result  of  the 
incarnation,  113,  543. 

Lord,  the,  is  Heaven,  i,  424,  ii,  243  ; 
its  sun,  i,  426;  interiorly,  the  Angels 
think  of  Him  as  in  themselves,  ii, 
209  ;  cannot  send  forth  anything 
from  Himsf  If :  can  only  give  Himself, 
166  ;  love  of  Him  is  not  love  of  His 
person,  i,  425;  He  is  the  Neighbour, 

ii,  549,  and  as  such  is  found  in  parent, 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


583 


husband,  wife,  child,  friend,  and 
country,  403  ;  He  hides  Himself,  ii, 
258,  leads  Man  as  if  Man  led  himself, 
259-261 ;  fights  for  him,  and  gives 
him  to  feel  the  combat  as  his  own, 
150,  153. 

Louis  XIV.,  i,  33,  ii,  664;  in  Heaven, 
ii,  449. 

Louisa  Ulrika,  Queen  of  Sweden,  sister 
of  Frederick  the  Great :  Sweden  borg 
gives  her  a  message  from  her  de- 
ceased brother,  ii,  64;  her  belief  and 
unbelief,  66;  Swedenborg  tells  her 
he  can  only  converse  with  Spirits  of 
whom  he  can  form  an  idea,  67. 

Loutherbourg,  ii,  599,  618. 

Love  :  God  is  Love  itself,  ii,  1 97 ;  Love 
is  Life,  196;  Love  and  Wisdom  in- 
separable ;  Love  only  known  in 
Wisdom ;  and  Substance  and  Form 
in  themselves,  197,  536;  Love  repre- 
sented by  the  Heart,  228 ;  Man's 
three  Loves :  their  order  and  sub- 
ordination, ii,  24-25,  548,  550. 

Love  of  approbation,  ii,  24  ;  conduct  of 
those  moved  by  it,  151. 

Love  of  Children,  derived  from  Con- 
jugial  Love,  ii,  401 ;  in  the  Evil, 
402  ;  inspired  into  Men  by  Women, 
402  ;  difference  between  the  affection 
in  the  Spiritual  and  the  Natural,  403. 

Love  of  Dominion :  he  who  subdues  it 
easily  subdues  other  Evil  Loves,  for 
it  is  their  head,  ii,  257. 
Love  of  Gain,  conduct  of  those  governed 

by,  ii,  152. 
Love  and  Liberty  are  one,  ii,  245 ;  as 
many  sorts  of  Liberty  as  of  Love, 
246. 

Love  of  the  Lord,  defined  and  ex- 
plained, ii,  165-170;  is  the  Love  of 
goodness  and  truth,  i,  425 ;  indicates 
the  Neighbour,  ii,  27 ;  is  not  piety, 
30. 


Love  and  Lust,  a  review,  ii,  854-419. 

Love  of  the  Neighbour:  he  who  on 
Earth  loves  him  as  himself  will  in 
Heaven  love  him  better  than  self, 

i,  305 ;  the  Lord  is  the  Neighbour, 

ii,  549;  in  the  righteous  execution 
of  all  business  is  the  true  Love,  ii, 
27,  28,  144.    See  Charity. 

Love  of  Pleasure,  conduct  of  those 

governed  by,  ii,  152. 
Love,  the  Ruling,  determines  for 
Heaven  or  Hell,  i,  406,  ii,  24,  30 ; 
gives  Man  his  quality,  ii,  231  ;  re- 
garded by  the  Lord  mainly,  371. 
Love  of  Self,  is  not  in  God,  wherefore 
He  creates  that  He  may  love  what 
is  not  Himself,  ii,  199;  its  use,  240  ; 
is  supreme  in  all  born  at  this  day, 
146,  558  ;  its  excessive  delights,  272 ; 
its  madness  and  blindness,  i,  493; 
its  prodigious  force  not  lost,  ii,  553, 
but  made  useful,  272 ;  subdued  by 
Divine  Love,  147,  256 ;  its  appro- 
priation of  Good  and  Evil,  289 ;  its 
atheism,  i,  498,  ii,  135;  denies 
Providence  and  attributes  all  to 
Prudence,  ii,  263  ;  the  origin  of 
Popery,  279  ;  simulates  piety,  145, 
and  charity,  151 ;  advocates  truth, 
175 ;  gives  a  bad  life,  144  ;  its  liberty 
provokes  constant  war,  32 ;  displayed 
in  Hell,  i,  491,  495  ;  it  is  the  worm 
which  dieth  not,  ii,  26,  and  the 
Devil,  288. 

Love  of  Truth  for  its  own  sake  is 
Divine  Grace,  ii,  174. 

Love  of  the  World,  ii,  24,  25,  27 ;  its 
right  place  and  use,  548;  displayed 
in  Hell,  i,  491. 

Loyola,  ii,  453. 

Lubeck,  Bishop  of,  ii,  89. 

Lundstedt,  Swedenborg' s  sister,  death 
of,  ii,  580. 

Lungs,  suck  ether  from  air  for  white 


584 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


blood,  i,  138;  motion  coincident  with 
the  Brain,  124,  139,  2G3-265;  derived 
from  the  Brain  and  correspond  to  the 
Understanding,  418,  ii,  229;  nourish 
the  blood  from  effluvia,  ii,  232. 

Luther,  ii,  429,  572 ;  sinned  in  cor- 
rupting the  Scriptures,  i,  190  ; 
Swedenborg  had  spoken  w  ith  him  a 
hundred  times,  ii,  334;  account  of 
their  intercourse,  437. 

Lynch,  Rev.  T.  T.,  quoted,  ii,  178  n., 
669. 

Mac  Donald,  George,  quoted,  ii,  668  n. 

31acmillan's  Magazine,  ii,  73  n. 

Magnetism,  the  second  Element,  i,  90, 
91  ;  heat,  light,  and  electricity  its  I 
modifications,  96;  the  Universe  in-  j 
terpreted  by  a  magnet,  97. 

Mahomet,  ii,  486. 

Mahometans,  ii,  8  ;  raised  up  to  destroy 
idolatry,  278  ;  why  polygamy  is 
permitted  among  them  397 ;  their 
Heavens,  398,  485. 

Malins,  Richard,  ii,  641. 

Malins,  William,  sets  up  a  Sweden- 
borgian  boarding-school,  ii,  634. 

Malthus,  i,  1,  ii,  415. 

Man :  God  is  very  Man,  ii,  202 ;  our 
Manhood  is  His  presence  in  us,  i,  328, 
333  ;  any  Goodness  or  Wisdom  in  us 
is  He  in  us,  i,  169,  278,  ii,  539  ;  in 
ourselves  we  are  dead,  and  are  vivified 
by  God,  ii,  200,  237,  238,  258,  465 ; 
the  Internal  Man  is  the  Lord,  150  n. 
if  we  lived  of  ourselves  we  should  be 
Gods,  200  ;  this  relation  between  God 
and  Man  involved  in  all  Religions, 
but  first  philosophically  stated  by 
Swedenborg,  667. 

Man,  the  Summary  of  Animals,  i,  123, 
128  ;  the  epitome  of  Creation,  258, 
262  ;  Nature  is  Man  in  diffusion,  ii,  I 
201,  221:  nothing  in  the  Universe 


which  does  not  yield  him  some 
obvious  or  hidden  service,  525. 
Man  and  Woman,  as  their  bodies  differ 
so  must  their  minds,  ii,  364 ;  he 
loves  wisdom  for  itself,  she  loves 
wisdom  in  him,  364-366  :  she  derived 
from  him,  and  is  subordinate  to  him, 
366-369. 

Marchant,  John,  English  translator 
for  Swedenborg,  i,  313. 

Marriage,  origin  in  the  desire  of  Good- 
ness for  Truth,  ii,  172,  407;  crowned 
with  honour  and  sanctity  by  the 
Lord,  370;  is  perfect  chastity,  371 ; 
its  blessings,  377  ;  is  eternal,  379. 

Marriage,  causes  of  coldness  in,  ii,  382  ; 
apparent  friendship  in,  386  ;  infernal 
unions,  172,  390;  reasons  for  repeated 
wedlock,  393. 

Marriages  in  Heaven,  i,  436,  ii.  354 ; 
explanation  the  Lord's  saying  there 
are  none  in  the  Resurrection,  357  ; 
no  children  born  in  angelic  wedlock, 
360  ;  few  unions  contracted  on  Earth 
perpetuated  in  Heaven,  360. 

Marryat,  Horace,  absurd  anecdote 
about  Swedenborg,  ii,  76 ;  visits  his 
house,  337. 

Mars,  described,  i,  510. 

Marteville,  Madame,  assisted  in  finding 
a  lost  receipt  by  Swedenborg,  ii,  63. 

Martyi s.  i.  301. 

Mary.  Virgin,  the  body  the  Lord 
assumed  from  her  was  an  epitome  of 
Judaism,  i,  370,  ii,  104;  it  was  a 
concentration  of  all  Evil,  and  in 
affiliation  with  every  Hell,  ii,  105; 
it  was  dispersed  and  replaced  by 
Deity,  i,  371,  ii,  43,  108;  explanation 
of  the  Saviour's  double  consciousness, 
ii,  112  ;  He  declined  to  acknowledge 
Mary  as  His  Mother,  ii,  109  n;  out 
of  the  untruth  that  He  was  her  son 
spring  Judaism,  Arianism,  Sxrinian- 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


585 


ism,  Calvinism,  and  Naturalism, 
542 ;  Mary  the  first  figure  in  the 
Roman  pantheon,  434  ;  Swedenborg 
has  an  interview  with  her,  ii,  110. 

Mason,  William,  life  and  character,  ii, 
615 ;  contempt  for  Hindmarsh's 
hierarchy,  602  n ;  controversy  with 
Noble,  642. 

Masorites,  ii,  119. 

Masson,  David,  ii,  73  n. 

Mather,  Ralph,  ii,  605. 

Mathesius,  Rev.  Aron,  i,  220,  ii,  586 ; 
his  account  of  Swedenborg' s  mental 
derangement,  225;  refutation  of 
Swedenborgian  slanders  against  him, 
230-232. 

Mauritius,  ii,  646. 

Mazzini  on  Conscience,  ii,  31  n. 

Mechanism,  the  world  a  system  of,  i, 
85,  86 ;  the  Soul  subject  to  the  laws ' 
of,  106,  108. 

Mechanism  of  the  Intercourse  between 
the  Soul  and  the  Body  (De  Me- 
chanismo  Operationis  Animce  et 
Corporis),  reviewed,  i,  105 ;  an  ad- 
vance upon,  141. 

Mediums :  how  Spirits  would  make 
Men  their  mediums,  i,  293 ;  they 
directed  Swedenborg's hand,  293;  one 
thanked  him  for  what  he  had  written 
as  his  own,  300 ;  others  led  him,  saw 
through  his  eyes,  and  heard  through 
his  ears,  304. 

Megret,  i,  56. 

Melancholy  originates  in  Spirits  who 

luxuriate  in  corrupting  food  in  the 

stomach,  ii,  577. 
Melancthon,  ii,  429,  572  ;  Swedenborg's 

acquaintance  with,  438. 
Melle,  Jacob,  a  savant  of  Liibeck,  i, 

63. 

Memorabilia  :  See  Spiritual  Stories. 
Memory,  without  Understanding  of  no 
account  after  death,  i,  301,  443,  514  ; 


fete  of  book-worms,  292  ;  learned 
stupidity,  443 ;  memory  indelible, 
j  udgement  effected  from,  books  com- 
piled from,  409-411 ;  case  of  Charles 
XII.,  398  ;  Angels  use  Man's  when 
in  intercourse  with  him,  457. 

Mercury  described,  i,  507. 

Merit,  is  theft,  i,  425  ;  disowned  by  the 
Good,  ii,  32,  550  ;  Man  has  none  in 
his  regeneration  and  salvation,  149, 
150;  absurdity  of  imputed  Merit, 
182  ;  Man  ought  to  disown  Merit  and 
Blame  alike ;  the  first  he  has  frcm 
God,  the  second  from  Hell,  289,  292  ; 
how  Swedenborg  acted,  i,  307,  ii, 
292. 

Messiah,  Swedenborg  calls  himself,  i, 

222  ;  statement  contradicted,  229  ; 

possible  explanation,  285. 
Messiter,  Dr.  ii,  479,  480  n,  584. 
Metaphysics,  commonly  fantasies,  i, 

294  ;  Swedenborg  hated,  ii,  85. 
Micah  and  his  image,  1 ,  470. 
Milk,  enjoyed  by  Spiritual  Angels,  i, 

296. 

Mill,  J.  Stuart,  on  the  negations  of 
Christianity,  ii,  147 ;  on  judgement 
of  doctrine,  434,  669. 

Milton,  on  the  relation  of  woman  to 
man,  ii,  363. 

Mind,  consists  of  Will  and  Under- 
standing, ii,  23,  226 ;  explained  by 
the  Body,  227,  467,  668;  a  form 
organized  from  spiritual  substances, 
535. 

Minerals  condensed  from  Water,  i,  92, 
161. 

Miracles,  importance  of  as  proofs,  i, 
271,  or  for  regeneration,  ii,  253, 
Catholic  miracles  impostures,  ii,  520. 

Miscellaneous  Observations,  i,  67. 

Mistresses,  kept,  sanctioned,  ii,  413  ; 
Swedenborg's,  i,  75,  121  ;  ii,  505. 

Misers  after  death,  i,  292. 

2  Q 


586 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Missionary  and  Tract  Society,  ii.  633. 

Money,  ill-gotten,  i,  298. 

Monks  and  Nana  after  death,  ii,  360. 

Monogamy,  favoured  by  women,  poly- 
gamy by  men,  ii,  392 ;  Conjugial 
Love  only  possible  in,  395. 

Monster,  Hell  a,  i,  488 ;  one  at  each 
gate  of  Hell,  489. 

Moon  described,  i,  517. 

Moral  Life,  i,  480. 

Moravians  in  Fetter  Lane,  London,  i, 
219;  Swedenborg  mingles  with  them, 
221,  and  suffers  mischief,  242:  de- 
scription of  them  after  death,  383 ; 
ii,  664. 

Morton,  Lord,  ii,  327. 

Moscow,  Swedenborgians  in,  ii,  646. 

Moses,  saw  Jehovah  as  an  aged  bearded 
man,  i,  352  ;  in  Cheapside,  London, 
388,  Swedenborg  once  spoke  with, 
ii,  334. 

Motion  derived  from  the  Point :  an 
everlasting  spiral,  i,  89  ;  rotatory, 
spiral,  and  vertical,  140. 

Motion  of  Earth  and  Planets,  i,  60. 

Mouravieff.  Alexander,  ii,  646. 

Muggleton  and  Reeves  ii,  626. 

Mulatto,  unknown  to  Swedenborg,  ii, 
353. 

Music,  little  noticed  by  Swedenborg, 
ii,  337. 

Musschenbroek,  his  experiments  adopt- 
ed by  Swedenborg,  i,  91. 

Mystical  Senses  of  Scripture,  a  plague, 
ii,  670. 

Napoleox.  Louis,  ii,  274. 
National    Missionary   Institution,  ii, 
633. 

Natural  World,  exists  from  the  Spiritual 
World  i,  259,  and  neither  could  exist 
alone,  ii,  219;  is  a  picture  of  the 
invisible,  i,  332. 

Nature,  everywhere  the  same,  size 


makes  no  difference,  i,  85,  96,  179, 
420  ;  only  a  word  for  the  forces  from 
the  Infinite,  88 ;  originates  in  a 
Point,  80;  unintelligible  without  a 
knowledge  of  series,  order,  and 
degrees,  127,  128;  merely  the  instru- 
ment of  Life,  146;  exists  instantly 
from  God,  277  ;  is  Man  in  diffusion, 
ii,  201,  212,  221,  525 

Neapolitans,  ii,  451. 

Nebular  Hypothesis,  i,  96,  159. 

Neighbour,  is  the  Lord,  ii,  153,  549 ; 
varieties  of,  i,  154,  ii,  549. 

Neptune,  unknown  to  Swedenborg,  i, 
519. 

Neptune,  signification  in  mythology, 
ii,  51. 

Nerves,  conduits  for  Animal  Spirits, 

i,  132,  139. 

New  Church  Independent,  ii,  652. 

New  Jerusalem  and  its  Heavenly  Doc- 
trine (Be  Nova  Hierosolyma  et  ejus 
Doctrina  Cosiest i)  reviewed,  ii,  20-48. 

New  Jerusalem,  signifies  a  New  Church, 

ii,  20  ;  humble  expectations  con- 
cerning, 16  ;  will  endure  for  ages 
and  ages,  567  ;  few  will  enter  it  from 
the  former  Church,  i,  377 ;  will  be 
raised  up  among  Gentiles,  373,  ii,  482  ; 
its  truths  diffused  in  Africa,  ii,  483. 

New  Jerusalem  Church  Tract  Society, 
ii,  633. 

New  Jerusalem  Magazine,  i,  231 ,  ii,  632. 
New  Jerusalem  Magazine,  Boston,  ii,  649. 
New  Jerusalem  Messenger,  New  York, 

i,  228  n;  ii,  649. 
New  Rules  for  Maintaining  Heat  in 

Rooms,  i,  67. 
Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  i,  32,  97,  247; 

Swedenborg  discusses  with  him  on  a 

Vacuum  and  Colours,  ii,  58. 
Nexus  between  Infinite  and  Finite,  i, 

104. 

Nice,  Council  of,  first  broached  the 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


587 


doctrine  of  three  Gods,  ii,  544 ;  its 
creed  made  God  the  author  of  Evil, 
551  ;  no  one  admitted  to  temptation 
since,  560  ;  doctrine  of  imputed 
righteousness  originated  at,  561  ; 
completed  the  first  period  of  the 
Christian  Church,  565. 
Noah,  signifies  the  Ancient  Church, 
i,  341. 

Noble,  Samuel,  his  malicious  treatment 
of  Mathesius,  i,  230-231  ;  statement 
about  Proud' s  audiences,  ii,  608  n; 
his  conversion  and  character,  613- 
614;  his  Appeal,  i,  230  n,  ii,  614, 
615  »j  discord  in  his  Society,  639; 
accuses  Tulk  of  heresy,  and  in  turn 
is  accused  himself,  642  ;  his  contro- 
versy with  Mason,  643 ;  Spirits  rap 
in  his  study,  645. 

Noorthouck,  ii,  574. 

Nordberg's  History  of  Charles  XII.,  i, 
48  n. 

Nordenskjold,  Augustus,  his  list  of 
Swedenborg's  Bibles,  ii,  344  n;  ex- 
pelled from  the  Eastcheap  Jerusalem, 
603. 

North,  correspondence  of,  ii.  208. 
Nourse,  London  bookseller,  i,  243,  247, 

313,  314. 
Nuns  after  death,  ii,  360. 

Oberlin,  on  the  order  of  the  Heavens, 
i,  418;  attests  Swedenborg's  ex- 
perience, ii,  646. 

Observations  and  Discoveries  respecting 
Iron  and  Fire,  i,  64,  66. 

Oetinger,  Bishop  of  Murrhard,  trans- 
lates Swedenborg  into  German,  ii, 
333;  corresponds  with  Swedenborg, 
333,  and  forbidden  to  entertain  him, 
334 ;  has  many  doubts  about  the 
new  doctrine,  335. 

Okely,  Eev.  Francis,  confirms  Brock- 
mer  and  Mathesius,  i,  227,  228  n ; 


visits  Swedenborg  and  writes  to 
Wesley,  ii,  582. 
Oliphant,  Mrs.,  i,  370  n,  372  n ;  ii, 
142  n;  her  Salem  Chapel  a  fair  pic- 
ture of  a  Swedenborgian  congrega- 
tion, 638. 

'  Olofsohn,  Olof,  death  foretold  by 
Swedenborg,  ii,  75. 

Oldenburg,  Kings  of  the  House  of, 
in  Heaven,  ii,  508. 

Omnipotence  and  Omnipresence  of  God, 
ii,  536-540. 

Opera  Philosophical  Mineralia,  printed 
at  Leipsic,  i,  79 ;  cost  defrayed  by 
Duke  of  Brunswick,  82  ;  three  folios 
— two  devoted  to  iron  and  copper, 
and  one  to  philosophy,  84 ;  publica- 
tion of  trade  secrets  defended,  83  ; 
account  of  the  Principia,  84-97  ; 
placed  in  the  Index  Uxpurgatorhcs, 
119;  metallurgical  parts  reprinted 
and  their  merits  confessed,  175. 

Opie,  painter,  ii,  592. 

Opposites  excite  sensation,  i,  486 ;  ii, 
565. 

Order,  pervades  the  Universe,  i,  127  ; 
God  is  Order,  and  He  cannot  act 
against  Himself,  ii,  297,  536,  542. 

Orlov,  Count,  ii,  87. 

Oronoskull,  ii,  88. 

Paine,  Thomas,  ii,  18,  168. 
Palmerston,  on  dirt,  ii,  554. 
Pantheism,  an  execrable  heresy,  ii, 

199;  reason  shrinks  from  it  with 

horror,  258. 
Papke,  i,  40. 

Paris,  Swedenborg  lives  there  a  year, 
1712,  i,  33;  revisited  for  eighteen 
months,  1736,  116;  a  mysterious 
visit,  1769,  ii,  447,  459. 

Paris,  the  Abb§,  ii,  520. 

Parker,  Theodore,  on  Swedenborgians, 
ii,  651,  659. 

2  Q  2 


588 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Pascal,  ii,  74. 

Passives  and  Actives,  i,  90. 

Paton,  J.  Noel,  ii,  630. 

Patriotism,  ii,  158  n. 

Paul,  St.,  in  Cheapside,  i,  391,  also  ii, 
93 ;  Swedenborg's  sad  experience  of 
him,  391-393;  explanation  of  his 
character,  ii,  280 ;  his  Epistles  no 
part  of  the  Word,  53  ;  not  once  cited 
in  Arcana  Ccelestia  or  Apocalypse 
Explained,  323 ;  Swedenborg  ex- 
plains the  omission,  324-326  ;  begins 
to  quote  him,  129,  144  n,  323  ;  spoke 
■with  him  a  whole  year,  334 ;  gives 
him  toothache,  338 ;  among  the  Lost. 
658,  664. 

Paul,  St.,  on  Society  as  a  Man,  i,  423  ; 
on  the  relation  of  Woman  to  Man, 
ii,  363  ;  thrice  on  one  Sunday.  326  n. 

Pegasus,  ii,  52. 

Penn,  William,  i,  388. 

Penny,  Stephen,  i,  311,  ii,  478;  reads 
Arcana  Ccelestia,  i,  312  ;  writes  to 
William  Law,  320. 

Percy,  Dr.,  on  Swedenborg  as  a  me- 
tallurgist, i,  175. 

Permission,  Laws  of,  ii,  269. 

Person,  the  Lord  not  loved  as  to,  i, 
425,  ii,  169;  Angels  think  abstract- 
edly from  Person,  ii,  133,  169. 

Personality,  our  sense  of,  derived  from 
God,  i,  333,  425,  502,  ii,  112,  239. 

Teter  the  Great  and  the  Russians,  ii, 
91. 

Peter  III.,  Swedenborg  announces  his 

death  in  Amsterdam,  ii,  87. 
Peter's  Keys,  ii,  321. 
Peter,  St.,  contemned  by  St.  Paul, 

i,  393 ;   visits  Swedenborg,  ii,  93, 

579. 

Phillips,  James,  Quaker  bookseller,  ii, 
592. 

Phrenology,  i,  299,  ii,  236,  290,401, 

553. 


Physiognomy  practised  by  Angels,  i, 
410. 

Pietism  in  Sweden,  i,  11,  12,  71. 

Piety,  associated  with  vice,  i,  299; 
difficult,  479;  in  some  forms  mis- 
chievous, 482 ;  leads  away  from 
Heaven  as  much  as  it  is  commonly 
believed  to  lead  to  it,  485;  defined, 
ii,  30;  its  duties,  162. 

Pindar,  Peter,  ii,  592. 

Pitman,  Isaac,  ii,  641. 

Planets  andthtir  People  (De  Telhiribns, 
&c),  reviewed,  i,  506-533;  credibility 
of  the  tales,  ii,  664. 

Plants,  seven,  born  from  the  Sun,  i, 
160;  the  seventh  absurdly  supposed  to 
be  Uranus,  160  n,  518. 

Plants,  created,  i,  162;  Animals  cre- 
ated from  by  Spiritual  Sun,  163. 

Poet's  function  defined,  ii,  662. 

Points,  produced  immediately  from  the 
Infinite,  and  the  beginning  of  Crea- 
tion, i,  89  ;  their  wonderful  quali- 
ties, 92,  93  ;  compose  the  first  sub- 
stance, 128;  the  theory  repudiated, 
94,  95  ;  ii,  215. 

Polhem,  Chistopher,  i,  39  ;  introduced 
to  Swedenborg,  47  ;  takes  him  to 
see  Charles  XII.,  48  ;  dies  and 
witnesses  his  funeral  through 
Swedenborg's  eyes,  393  ;  his  sad 
state,  394. 

Polhem,  Emerentia,  would  not  marry 
Swedenborg,  i,  52  ;  he  confesses  she 
would  not  have  him,  121  ;  appears 
to  him  after  death,  ii,  500. 

Polonius,  i,  182. 

Polygamy,  favoured  by  men,  ii,  392  ; 
cannot  co-exist  with  Christianity, 
396  ;  why  allowed  among  Jews  and 
Mahometans,  279,  897  ;  Africans  on, 
482. 

Pombal,  ii,  425. 

Popery,  Swedenborg's  indictment  of, 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


589 


ii,  9 ;  denounced  by  him  in  the  Diet, 
81  ;  originated  in  Self -Love,  279- 
280. 

Popes  governed  by  Sirens,  ii,  451. 
Poppin's  Court,  London,  i,   382,  ii, 

309  »,  581. 
Porteous,  Bishop,  on  George  II.,  ii, 

307  ;  finds  no  harm  in  Clowes,  597. 
Porthan,  ii,  346  n. 
Portuguese  Jews,  ii,  99. 
Poverty,  dangerous  as  riches,  i,  480 ; 

evil  character  of  many  Poor,  483. 
Powers,  Hiram,  ii,  641. 
Prague,  i,  78. 

Prayer,  i.  116  ;  effects  nothing  unless 
as  means  to  reformation,  303  ;  the 
Lord  has  no  need  of :  He  desires  it 
for  Man's  sake,  ii,  30,  168;  is  con- 
verse with  God,  162. 

Prayer  Book  and  belief,  ii,  176. 

Predestination,  misuse  of  the  word, 
ii,  295  ;  a  horrible  doctrine,  551. 

Pre- Established  Harmony,  ii,  460  ; 
described  by  Mr.  Lewes,  461  ; 
Swedenborg's  dissent  from,  462. 

Pride,  of  independence  a  deadly 
delusion,  i,  169;  the  mother  evil  of 
human  nature,  333. 

Priestley,  Dr.,  criticises  Sweden- 
borgianism,  ii,  606  ;  answered  by 
Hindmarsh,  607. 

Prince's  Square  Chapel,  London, 
Swedenborg's  tomb,  ii,  588. 

Principia,  or  the  First  Principles  of 
Natural  Things,  heing  New  Attempts 
towards  a  philosophical  explanation 
of  the  Elementary  World  reviewed, 
i,  84 ;  renunciation  of  its  theory  of 
Creation,  ii,  527-528 ;  notes  on  it, 
215,  423,  662,  665. 

Profanation,  the  most  dreadful  of 
calamities,  i,  367 ;  various  degrees 
of,  ii,  267 ;  fearful  lot  of  profaners, 
2G8. 


Protestantism,  Paul  its  favourite,  ii, 
326  ;  inherits  the  ascetic  curse,  374 ; 
its  doctrine  identical  with  Catholi- 
cism before  the  Reformation,  ex- 
cepting the  conjunction  of  Faith 
with  Good  Works,  427  ;  and  gains  no 
eutrance  to  the  Understanding,  430; 
the  dogmas  it  shares  with  Catho- 
licism deeply  erroneous,  431 ;  three 
gods  worshipped,  431 ;  Adam's  sin 
and  Christ's  atonement,  431  ;  im- 
policy of  Swedenborg's  attacks 
upon,  434,  669. 
Proud,  J oseph,  a  Baptist  turned  Sweden- 
borgian,  ii,  605 ;  temple  built  for  him 
in  Birmingham,  606 ;  goes  to  London 
and  draws  great  crowds  ;  607  ;  chapel 
described  by  Southey,  625  ;  has  a 
thousand  hearers,  635;  Sydney  Smith 
covets  his  pulpit,  608  ;  popularity 
declines,  609 ;  his  character,  609  ; 
attacks  Clowes,  609. 
Providence,  Divine,  (De  Divina  Pro- 

videntia),  reviewed,  ii,  237-299. 
Providence,  Divine,  universal,  general, 
special,   i,   275-278,   304  ;  unless 
particular  could  not  be  universal,  ii, 
264  ;  talk  about  a  general  providence 
atheistic,  264. 
Providence,  Divine,  has  for  its  end 
Man's  happiness — a  Heaven  out  of 
the  Human  Race,  ii,  41,  242  ;  has 
respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal 
in  all  operations,  244;  equally  with 
wicked  and  good,   286  ;  charges 
neither  with  evil  nor  good,  i,  307,  ii, 
289  ;  pursues  human  salvation  under 
all  circumstances,  ii,  297  ;  moved  in 
all  things  by  pure  mercy,  298. 
Providence,  Divine,  secret  laws  of,  now 
to  be  revealed,  ii,  242  ;  Man  should 
act  from  liberty  according  to  reason, 
245 ;  he  should  remove  evils  as  sins 
from  his  external,  whilst  the  Lord 


590 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


removes  them  from  his  internal,  248 ;  I 
he  should  not  be  outwardly  forced, 
but  should  inwardly  force  himself, 
251 ;  should  be  taught  by  the  Word 
as  from  himself,  257  ;  should  not  feel 
the  Lord's  hand,  but  should  know  ! 
and  acknowledge  it,  260 ;  the  Lord 
always  hides  Himself,  261  ;  a  division 
clearly  made  between  Good  or 
Heaven  and  Evil  or  Hell,  266  ;  Laws 
of  Permission,  269 ;  Biblical  diffi- 
culties concerning,  270 ;  worldly 
difficulties,  271 ;  Swedenborgian  diffi- 
culties, 283. 

Provo,  Peter,  i,  230,  ii,  330  n,  576  n, 
581  n,  582  n,  588  n,  599. 

Prudence,  derived  from  Self-Love  is 
nothing,  ii,  261  ;  true  Prudence  is  the 
Divine  "Wisdom  under  the  limits  of 
the  Man's  Understanding,  262  ;  the 
Evil  cannot  believe  Prudence  is  from 
God,  263  ;  they  ascribe  to  Prudence 
and  Nature  the  rule  of  the  Universe, 
263  ;  if  they  affect  piety  they  say 
Providence  is  only  general,  264;  the 
Prudence  of  Self-Love  appropriates 
both  Good  and  Evil,  289. 

Psychology  revealed  in  Physiology,  ii, 
227,  230,  364,  467. 

Publius  Syrus  Mimus,  i,  30. 

Puffendorf,  i,  2. 

Punishments  never  inflicted  after  death 
for  deeds  done  on  Earth,  i,  411. 

Purgatory,  or  the  World  of  Spirits,  i, 
414  ;  no  change  possible  after  death 
and  why,  478. 

Quakers,  as  martyrs,  i,  301  ;  their 
mysteries  and  atrocities,  385-388  ;  I 
notes  upon,  ii,  583,  592,  620,  621, 
637  w,  664. 

Readers,  Swedenborg's  classification 
of  his,  ii,  522. 


Red  corresponds  to  Love,  ii,  229 

Redemption,  how  the  Lord  effected,  ii, 
105;  consummated,  not  comprised, 
in  crucifixion,  107,  540-543. 

Reformation,  follows  Repentance  and 
precedes  Regeneration,  ii,  558  ; 
effected  by  truths,  559. 

Regeneration,  quality  of  the  Unre- 
generate,  ii,  569 ;  is  the  subversion 
of  Self-Love  to  Love  of  the  Lord 
and  the  Neighbour,  ii,  35;  effected 
by  the  manifestation  of  Evil  and  its 
rejection  as  Sin,  146,  283 ;  assumes 
two  forces,  147,  256 ;  Evils  must  first 
be  cast  out  ere  Good  is  done,  153 ; 
how  the  fight  goes  on  and  Man 
transformed  from  Devil  to  Angel, 
147,  257  ;  the  process  continued  to 
eternity,  and  differs  in  each  indi- 
vidual, 560 ;  Man's  share  in  it  wholly 
external,  and  without  merit :  accom- 
plished by  the  Lord,  149,  249,  539 ; 
impossible  without  Remains,  188- 
190  ;  cannot  be  enforced  from  with- 
out, thus  not  by  sickness,  nor  other 
modes  of  constraint,  253-255;  in- 
stantaneous salvation  impossible, 
298  ;  Regeneration  described  by  an 
Angel,  i,  441 ;  not  difficult  to  qualify 
for  Heaven,  479,  and  as  easy  for  the 
Rich  as  the  Poor,  482  ;  better  never 
enter  the  regenerate  life  than  turn 
back,  ii,  268. 

Reid,  i,  175. 

Reid,  W.  H.,  attacks  Swedenborgians, 
ii,  626. 

Religions,  salvation  possible  under  all, 

ii,  276 ;  use  of  divers,  277. 
Remains,   the    germs   of  Goodness 

whereby  Regeneration  is  effected, ii, 

186-190. 

Repentance,  the  confession  and  hatred 
of  sin,  ii,  34  ;  he  who  lives  in  charity 
repents  daily,  34 ;  the  beginning  of 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


591 


the  Church  in  Man,  554  ;  effected 
by  self-examination,  which  is  pain- 
ful, and  difficult  for  Protestants,  554- 
557;  use  of  auricular  confession, 
558. 

Respiration,  coincident  with  thought, 
i,  124,  139;  the  Blood  nourished 
from  effluvia  inhaled,  ii,  232  ;  of  the 
Good  and  Evil  differs,  233. 

Respiration,  Swedenborg's  peculiar,  i, 
139,  195,  263. 

Respiration,  Internal,  of  the  Adamites, 
i,  330,  who  were  destroyed  by  its 
derangement,  336  ;  prevails  in  Mars, 
511. 

Resurrection,  none  of  the  flesh,  i,  144, 
407,  ii,  38 ;  the  Saviour's  altogether 
diverse  from  Man's,  i,  371,  ii,  110. 

Revelation,  its  office  to  correct  the 
illusions  of  sensation,  ii,  237,  262, 
667  ;  saves  us  from  atheism,  258 ; 
effected  in  the  least  oppressive  forms, 
259. 

Rich,  enter  Heaven  as  easily  as  Poor, 
i,  482  ;  meaning  of  in  Scriptures,  483. 

Ritualism  and  Fetishism,  ii,  652. 

Robsahm,  Director  of  the  Bank  pf 
Stockholm,  i,  122  w;  on  Sweden- 
borg's mistress,  122  ;  account  of  the 
beginning  of  his  visions,  243  ;  an 
execution,  403 ;  a  young  man  goes 
to  kill  Swedenborg,  ii,  496 ;  their 
last  farewell,  501 ;  sundry  anecdotes, 
etc.,  ii,  75,  76,  77,  78,  84,  88  n,  331, 
338,  342,  353. 

Robinson,  George,  expelled  from  the 
Easteheap  Jerusalem,  ii,  603. 

Robinson,  Thomas,  his  illustrations  of 
Swedenborgian  character,  ii,  640. 

Rome,  visited  by  Swedenborg,  i,  119 ; 
Babylon  of  Apocalypse,  ii,  9. 

Rotterdam  fair,  i,  114. 

Rosen,  Dr.,  ii,  488,  493. 

Rothery,  Mrs.  M.  C.  Hume,  ii,  641. 


Rousseau,  i,  380,  ii,  18. 

Rules  of  Life,  Swedenborg's,  ii,  80. 

Ruling  Love,  determines  character,  i, 

406,  478  ;  its  operation  in  the  World 

of  Spirits,  408,  412. 
Russia,  Swedenborgians  in,  ii,  646. 
Russians,  Elizabeth  presides  over  their 

best  society,  ii,  89 ;  their  character, 

91. 

Ruysch,  i,  125. 

Saints,  venerated,  not  worshipped,  i, 
117  ;  their  sad  case  after  death,  484- 
485  ;  their  invocation  vain,  ii,  454 ; 
Clement  XII.  found  only  two  in 
Heaven,  454. 

Salem  Chapel,  a  good  picture  of  a 
Swedenborgian  congregation,  ii,  638. 

Salmon,  J.  W.,  ii,  593,  605. 

Salt,  derived  from  Water  and  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Mineral  Kingdom, 
i,  92  ;  a  cube  of  Salt  the  centre  of 
each  red  blood  globule,  135 ;  an 
essay  on  Salt  and  its  properties, 
136-138. 

Salvation,  the  subjection  of  Self- Love 
to  Brotherly  Love,  ii,  106;  effected 
by  the  Lord  internally  and  by  Man 
externally,  149,  250 ;  cannot  be  en- 
forced, 253  ;  accomplished  in  the 
manifestation  and  removal  of  evil, 
283 ;  constantly  pursued  by  the  Lord, 
297  ;  instantaneous  impossible,  298. 

Sameness  exists  nowhere  in  the  Uni- 
verse, i,  277,  416. 

Sandel,  Samuel,  authority  for  Sweden- 
borg's Rules  of  Life,  ii,  80  ;  told  by 
Swedenborg  that  he  wrote  to  dicta- 
tion, 510 ;  pronounces  Swedenborg's 
Eulogium  in  the  Hall  of  Nobles,  589. 

Sara  Greta  is  shewn  an  Angel,  ii,  665. 

Satan,  no  single  Spirit  so  called:  Satans 
appear  pale  and  livid  like  corpses,  i, 
497. 


592 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


Saturn  described,  i,  518. 
Saxe-Coburg-Sialfeldt,  a  Trince  of, 

missing,  ii,  521. 
Saxony.  Elector  of,  ii.  439. 
Schaddai. God, worshipped  by  Abraham, 

i,  349. 

Scheler,  Dr.  Augustus,  ii,  420. 

Scherer.  ii,  74.  75  n. 

Sc  he  rings  son,  i,  197. 

Schmidt,  Sebastian,  i,  5. 

Schmidius,  Swedenborg's  hand-book, 

ii,  344. 

Scots,  in  Charity,  ii,  55 ;  their  poor 

divinity.  435. 
Scott,  Samuel,  on  Hartley,  ii.  592  n. 
Scripture,    Doctrine    of  the  Sacred 

( Doctrina   Mm    Hierosolymce  de 

S-riptura  Sacra),  reviewed,  ii,  118- 

143. 

Scriptures,  the  Sacred,  without  them 
we  should  know  nothing  of  the  Lord 
or  Heaven  and  Hell,  ii,  40,  135;  all 
treat  of  the  Lord,  103-104;  are  a 
map  of  God,  167;  were  dictated  by 
Jehovah  and  are  preserved  in  im- 
maculate perfection,  118,  119,  121, 
54  4.  545;  contain  a  Spiritual  and 
Celestial  sense,  i,  326,  363  ;  existence 
of  these  Senses  hitherto  unknown,  ii, 
123  ;  a  discrete  degree  between  each 
Sense,  212;  compared  to  a  garden. 
130;  to  an  abyss  of  wisdom,  546; 
who  alone  can  perceive  the  interior 
Senses,  40,  129 :  books  of  the  Bible 
which  contain  inner  Senses,  ii.  52, 
and  which  do  not,  53  :  reasonings  of 
the  Raton]  Man  on  the  style  of  the 
Scriptures,  121  ;  the  internal  Sense 
revealed  for  his  conversion.  122: 
why  Jewish  history  was  chosen  for 
the  Word,  139  ;  must  be  interpreted 
by  Doctrine,  125. 

Scriptures,  Sacred,  in  Heaven,  i.  463, 
465;  how  they  differ  from  the  same 


on  Earth,  ii,  133;  hov,  they  conjoin 
Angels  and  Men  with  the  Lord,  131, 

259. 

Scriver's  Treasure  for  Souls,  i,  3,  72  n. 

Self-Examination,  i,  481  ;  ii,  34,  436- 
437,  554-559. 

Self-Love.  induces  thick  darkness  as  to 
heavenly  things,  i,  441  ;  absorbent — 
a  kill-joy,  452  ;  is  Hell,  486. 

Semen,  misuse  of  the  word,  ii,  352. 

Seneca,  i,  30;  ii,  135,  139. 
i  Seniff,  i,  221. 

Sensation,  of  independence  an  illusion, 

i,  169;  ii,  533  ;  represented  by  the 
Serpent,  i,  335;  an  inversion  of 
reality,  ii,  150,  239,  293 ;  excited  by 
opposite*,  i,  496 ;  ii,  565. 

Series  and  Degrees  pervade  the  Uni- 
verse, i,  127;  six  series  in  Creation, 
128-129. 

Servant^.  Henry,  ii,  578,  600;  ex- 
pelled from  the  Eastcheap  Jerusalem, 
603 ;  on  Hindmarsh's  indifference, 
610  n. 

Sex  surv  ives  death,  i,  436 ;  ii,  357. 
Sexual  Love,  originates  in  Woman, 

ii,  374 ;  dissipated  by  gratification, 
377;  simulates  Conjugal,  382. 

Sexuality  of  Plants,  denied  by  Sweden- 
borg,  ii,  351  ;  his  misconception  of 
the  matter.  352. 

Shakspere,  i,  182,  411  »j,  46<»:  ii,  141, 
662,  671. 

Shape  an  1  Form,  not  to  be  confounded, 
i,  421. 

Sharp,  William,  ii,  599,  618. 
Shearsmith.  Richard,  ii,  574,  575,  576, 

578,  579. 

Shem,  signifies  true  internal  worship, 

i,  342 

Shoe,  discussion  whether  a  certain  shoe 

would  fit  a  certain  foot,  i,  256. 
Short,  Dr.,  ii,  591  n. 
Ekykxk  deified,  ii.  432. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


593 


Sibly,  Manoah,  ii,  600;  on  Hind- 
marsh's  expulsion  from  Eastcheap, 
603  ;  on  the  number  of  Sweden- 
borgian  Clergy,  622  n ;  disapproves 
of  public  wrangling,  627;  on  Sweden- 
borgianism  in  London  in  1805,  635. 

Sickness,  no  one  reformed  in,  ii,  255. 

Sigismund,  King,  ii,  82. 

Sins,  repressed  by  Self- Love  still  re- 
tained, ii,  145  ;  shunning  Evils  as 
Sins  the  very  essence  of  the  Christian 
Religion,  146  ;  Sins  can  only  be  re- 
sisted from  Goodness,  147 ;  until 
cast  out  no  Good  can  be  done,  153  ; 
method  of  the  conquest  of  Evil,  249- 
250;  Protestant  notions  about  Sin, 
554 ;  Henry  James  on  glib  con- 
fession, 555;  a  wholesale  confession 
in  the  Spiritual  World,  555. 

Sirens,  infest  Swedenborg,  i,  304; 
govern  Popes,  ii,  451. 

Sixtus  V.,  ii,  452. 

Sloane,  Sir  Hans,  i,  247  ;  Swendenborg 
converses  with  him  on  the  co- 
operation of  Nature  and  Spirit,  ii, 
225. 

Smith,  Dr.,  i,  222,  223;  Swedenborg 
committed  to  his  care,  224,  241 ;  ii, 
574  n. 

Smith,  Samuel,  ii,  585,  593,  601,  602. 

Smith,  Southwood,  ii,  234. 

Smith,  Sydney,  on  the  equality  of  the 

sexes,  ii,  363;  covets  Proud' s  Chapel, 

608. 

Smithson,  J.  H.,  ii,  647  n. 
Snuff,  taken  profusely  by  Swedenborg, 
ii,  578. 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel,  i,  317. 

Societies  of  Heaven,  innumerable,  i, 
414;  similarity  of  character  the  law 
of  their  association,  414  ;  few  Angels 
venture  beyond  their  Society,  415 ; 
possess  a  common  physiognomy,  416. 


Societies  of  Hell,  numerous  as  those 
of  Heaven,  i,  486 ;  each  a  Monster, 
488. 

Socinianism,  repudiated  by  Sweden- 
borg with  horror,  ii,  489,  542. 

Solander,  Dr.,  ii,  588. 

Soldier,  the,  who  acts  from  Charity, 
ii,  160, 

Solidarity  of  Humanity,"ii,  4,  5,  130, 

138,  220,  291. 
Solifidianism,  exposed  and  derided,  ii, 

321. 

Sonstadt,  Edward,  ii,  641. 
Sorbonne,  a  theological  debate  there, 
i,  117. 

Soul,  derived  from  one's  father,  i,  1, 
147,  ii,  103,  353;  Aristotle  cited  in 
proof,  148  n  ;  its  laws  fixed  and 
orderly  as  those  of  mechanics,  86  ; 
possesses  no  intuitive  knowledge, 
88 ;  Mechanism  of  Intercourse  between 
Soul  and  Body  reviewed,  105-109  ; 
the  Soul  being  finite  is  extended,  1 05 ; 
is  a  constituent  of  the  Body,  106, 
108;  dwells  in  the  Brain,  106  ;  is  an 
immortal  machine,  123, 131 ;  Sweden- 
borg resolves  to  find  it  by  dissection, 
123,  129,  131,  149-150;  treatise  on 
the  Soul,  127  ;  fancies  he  has  found 
it  in  Animal  Spirits,  132-133;  con- 
cludes Animal  Spirits  are  its  organ, 
140  ;  defines  it  as  a  fluid  most 
absolute,  141 ;  it  eludes  him,  but  he 
will  not  abandon  the  quest,  142,  149 ; 
decides  that  it  does  not  live  of  itself, 
but  by  God's  presence,  143  ;  See,  ii, 
113,  465;  that  it  is  not  material,  i, 
151  ;  two  ways  of  approaching  it — 
the  analytic  and  synthetic,  152;  it 
lives  by  God,  but  the  manner  of  His 
conjunction  therewith  unknowable, 
146-147. 

Soid,  Intercourse  between,  and  Body, 
reviewed,  ii,  460-477. 


594 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


South,  the,  its  correspondence,  ii,  208. 
Southey,  his  Life  of  Wesley,  i,  384  ; 

visits  Proud"  s  Chapel,  ii,  625  ;  on  the 

Grand  Man,  626. 
Space,  in  the  Spiritual  World,  i,  260, 

431. 

Space  and  Time,  confined  to  Nature, 
ii,  133;  finite  and  began  with  Crea- 
tion, 206,  532-533. 

Spence,  William,  ii,  599. 

Specimens  of  Chemistry,  by  Sweden- 
borg,  i,  64. 

Spinoza,  ii,  98,  99,  461. 

Spinsters,  after  death,  ii,  360, 

Spiral,  motion  an  everlasting,  i,  89 ; 
the  white  blood  moves  spirally,  140; 
a  spiral  dance,  166. 

Spiritual  Christianity,  by  C.  A.  Tulk, 
ii,  617. 

Spiritual  Diary,  Swedenborg' s,  com- 
menced, i,  289;  edited  and  printed 
by  Tafel,  289  n;  described,  with 
extracts,  289-309. 

Spiritualism  as  related  to  Sweden- 
borgianism,  ii,  644. 

Spiritual  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  i,  417. 

Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Scriptures,  i,  363- 
365,  ii,  123  ;  who  alone  can  perceive 
it,  129;  why  not  revealed  before,  3  39; 
how  realized,  639  ;  the  Mystical 
Senses  of  Fathers  and  Schoolmen, 
670. 

Spiritual  Stones,    otherwise  Memo- 
rabilia,  ii,   313,  523  ;   printed  by 
command  of  the  Lord,  571  — 
A  Sham  and  a  True  Chris- 
tian  ii,  184 

A  Prophecy  fulfilled  in  Swe- 

denborg       ...       ...  313 

An  Old  Man  in  a  Cave  ...  315 
A  Couple  of  Solifidians  317 
An  Assembly  of  Wiseacres  319 

Peter's  Keys   321 

A  Welding  in  Heaven    ...  354 


A  Couple  from  Eden  ...  404 
A  Discussion  on  Influx  ...  467 
Why   Swedenborg  turned 

Theologian   472 

About  Familiar  Spirits  ...  512 
A  Great  Sinner  ...  555 

Spiritual  World,  intimately  related  to 
the  Natural,  i,  259,  368,  380;  to  out- 
ward view  altogether  similar  to 
the  Natural,  ii,  217  ;  its  phenomena 
reflect  the  minds  of  its  inhabitants, 
i;  261,  431,  ii,  386;  is  the  realm  of 
illusions,  i,  168,  197  n;  532,  ii,  663. 
Spontaneous  Generation,  ii,  224,  673. 
Springer,  Swedish  Consul  in  London, 

i,  233  ;  reminiscences  of  Swedenborg, 

ii,  328-331  ;  on  his  diet,  576  n. 
Spurgin,  Dr.,  ii,  589. 
Stahlhammer,  ii,  64. 
Stanislaus,  King,  ii,  424,  519. 
Stanley,  Dean,  on  the  Bible  and  Koran, 

ii,  120. 

Stars,  cause  of  dimness  and  disappear- 
ance, i,  159  n. 

Stenches,  Devils  enjoy,  i,  413,  ii,  233, 
299. 

Stilling,  Jung,  ii,  87,  91,  93  n. 

Stockholm,  fire  seen  at  from  Gottenburg, 
ii,  61  ;  beauty  of  its  site,  336. 

Strutt,  C.  E.,  translator  of  Swedenborg, 
i,  177. 

Strutt,  Mrs.  E.,  ii,  641. 

Substance  and  Form — Love  the  first 
and  Truth  the  second,  ii,  197  ;  God 
is  essential  Substance  and  Form,  198, 
215,  238,  527,  531. 

Sun,  the,  speculations  of  Swedenborg 
about,  i,  62  ;  consists  of  Points  of 
Force,  92,  128;  how  Earths  were 
born  from  him,  92,  158-161  ;  creates 
the  Vegetable  Kingdom,  162  ;  in- 
feriority to  the  Spiritual  Sun,  262  ; 
is  pure  fire,  i,  520,  ii,  218;  consists 
of  created  substances  whose  activity 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


595 


produces  fire,  ii,  218  w;  how  he  co- 
operates with  the  Spiritual  Sun,  220, 
221. 

Sun,  the  Spiritual,  first  indicated,  i, 
147  ;  accurately  described,  1 62  ;  cre- 
ates Animals  from  Plants,  163  ;  Uni- 
verse depends  on  it,  261-262 ;  appears 
to  each  Angel  according  to  his  re- 
ception of  the  Lord,  426,  ii,  208;  the 
centre  of  gravity  in  Heaven,  i,  427  ; 
its  heat  and  light  perverted  in  Hell, 
494-495 ;  shines  on  the  internals  of 
good  Men,  ii,  23,  208 ;  is  the  origin 
of  vital  heat,  228 ;  is  seen  by  Sweden  - 
borg,  207  ;  it  is  from  God,  but  is  not 
God,  209,  216 ;  by  it  He  produced  and 
sustains  the  Spiritual  World,  and  all 
Suns  and  Planets,  216,  219,  534;  by 
it  He  is  omnipresent,  538. 

Supper,  the  Holy,  its  correspondence 
and  uses,  ii,  37,  563. 

Svedberg,  Albrecht,  eldest  brother  of 
Swedenborg,  born,  i,  6;  dies,  17. 

Svedberg,  Eliezer,  brother  of  Sweden- 
borg, born  1689,  dies  1711,  i,  74; 
appears  in  vision  to  Swedenborg, 
216. 

Svedberg  Family,  enumerated,  i,  43, 
47,  74 ;  ennobled  and  the  name 
changed  to  Swedenborg,  58. 

Svedberg,  Jesper,  father  of  Sweden- 
borg, born  1653,  i,  1;  character  of 
his  parents,  1 ;  escapes  from  drown- 
ing, is  destined  for  the  pulpit,  and 
sent  to  Upsala  and  Lund,  2  ;  has  a 
vision,  hears  celestial  music,  and  is 
directed  in  his  studies  by  an  Angel, 
3;  serves  as  tutor,  prints  a  sermon, 
and  is  appointed  Chaplain  to  the 
King's  Life  Guards,  4  ;  marries  and 
goes  travelling,  5 ;  returns  and  finds 
a  son,  6;  pleases  the  King,  7 ;  another 
son  born,  and  named  Emanuel,  9 ; 
promoted  by  the  King  to  various 


offices,  11;  revises  Swedish  Bible, 
11  ;  brings  out  a  new  Psalter,  12  ; 
names  of  his  children,  13  ;  death  of 
his  wife,  and  son  Albrecht,  17 ; 
denounced  as  a  Papist  on  account  of 
their  epitaph,  18;  a  short  courtship 
and  a  second  marriage,  19;  his  house- 
warming,  20 ;  his  bold  conduct  before 
Charles  XII.,  20 ;  his  house  burnt, 
his  cry  for  help,  and  is  appointed 
Bishop  of  Skara,  22. 

Svedberg,  Jesper,  as  Bishop:  his  zeal, 
i,  23 ;  remonstrates  with  Charles 
XII.  on  the  taxation  of  the  Clergy, 
23  ;  hoaxed  by  an  Angel,  25 ;  casts 
out  devils  from  his  maid-servant, 
and  brings  a  female  convict  to  re- 
pentance, 25 ;  works  a  miraculous 
cure,  26;  his  theology,  discipline 
and  patronage,  26  ;  prints  a  Swedish 
grammar,  and  prepares  a  dictionary, 
28;  house  burnt  down,  and  outcry 
over  disaster,  33  ;  asks  the  King  for 
places  for  his  sons,  35;  house  rebuilt, 
35 ;  fancy  about  the  origin  of  the  fire, 
36 ;  asks  the  King  again  for  a  post 
for  Emanuel,  36  ;  and  again,  37 ;  and 
yet  again,  42 ;  also  to  ennoble  his 
sons  and  sons-in-law,  43  ;  and  again, 
47  ;  proposes  to  work  a  copper-mine, 
53  ;  visits  Charles  XII.,  53 ;  favours 
absolute  monarchy,  58 ;  speech  in 
Diet,  59 ;  rough  treatment  of  royalty, 
59 ;  his  third  marriage,  60 ;  de- 
nounced in  Diet  for  pietism,  72  ; 
advice  to  a  son  returned  from  sea, 
73,  485 ;  his  house  again  burnt,  75  ; 
joy  in  his  son  Emanuel,  110  ;  auto- 
biography, 110;  death  and  funeral, 
111 ;  character,  112-113,  485  ;  leaves 
considerable  property,  113;  appears 
to  Emanuel  after  death,  205,  211, 
234,  306,  402. 

Swammerdam,  ii,  352. 


596 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


his  grand- 
birth,  and 
Upsala.  the 


Sweden,  Swedenborrians  rare  in,  ii, 
647. 

Swedenborg,  Emanuel, 
father  IsaVsson.  i.  1  : 
why  called  Emanuel  9 
home  of  his  boyhood,  13  ;  youthful 
meditations.  15 ;  peculiar  respiration. 
17  :  death  of  his  mother  and  brother, 
1 7  :  first  essays  in  authorship,  30  : 
goes  travelling,  and  perils  of  the 
voyage,  30  :  lives  a  year  in  England. 
31 ;  Holland,  and  a  year  in  Paris. 
33 ;  settles  at  Griefs valde.  33  ;  his 
father  begs  Charles  XII.  to  find  him 
employment  35:  and  again  36:  and 
yet  again.  37  :  details  his  doings  to 
Benzelius,  37 ;  list  of  Ids  schemes. 
38 ;  another  letter  to  Benxeli  us.  40 ; 
publishes  Fables  and  Oration,  41 ; 
returns  to  Sweden,  and  his  ^^Kf i 
again  sues  for  employment.  42  ;  and 
again.  43 :  publishes  Poems,  44  ;  his 
projects  commercial  and  scientific. 
46;  starts  Dvdalm*  Hyperion**. 
47  j  introduced  to  Charles  XII.  and 
of  M:-r=  4- 
49:  employed 

by  Pbsiha  m 


to  Polbem" 


52 

and  proposes  to 
53:  letter  to 
and  the  King,  54; 
FrederickshalL  55; 


ing  works,  67;  publishes  Mlscdlu- 
rieou*0l*erv<ztion4. 67 ;  returns  home, 
69 ;  writes  on  the  Swedish  Currency, 
70  ;  declines  professorship  of  mathe- 
matics. 71  ;  Unge  urges  him  to  marry, 
74:  keeps  a  mistress  instead,  75; 
goes  abroad,  visits  Berlin  and  Dres- 
den, 76  :  meets  with  Wolf's  writings 
and  Wolf,  78,  79,  81  ;  publish  Philo- 
sophical and  Mineral  Work*  and 
Infinite,  79;  returns  to  Sweden,  82; 
res. >es  to  discover  the  Soil.  109; 
his  father  s  death.  110:  goes  abroad 
to  study  Anatomy,  113;  reflections 
on  the  Dutch,  115;  occupations  in 
Paris,  116-118;  goes  to  Italy,  118; 
visits  Borne,  119:  trace  lost  of  his 
goings.  120;  probable  occupation 
1736  and  1743,  121.  124: 
of  Economy  of  Animal 


Worship  and  Lo~  of  God.  120.  243. 

In  hit  Character  a*  SphiimalUt. 

rerr.-,r.:r:r.=  f  a  r.ew  state,  i  195; 
discovery  of  1 

196:  leaves  Stockholm  for 
dam,  199;  risk 
bliss,  HH1I;  leaves  Holland  for 
217 ;  lodges  in  Fetter  Lace, 
the  Moravians.  219; 

220-225:  Jews 
watch,  233;  his  shuddering  fits 
234-241 ;  various 
of  the  opening   of  his 

,248;  learns  Hebrew  sad 
-4  - :  ret. re*  from 
on  fall  pay.  249:  sails 

I^rj  289; 

lishfri,  310 :  Lewi*  §  adr* 
314;  its  small  safe.  311,  313 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUME?. 


597 


divided  between  London  and  Stock- 
holm, 382 ;  publishes  five  books  in 
London,  1758,  404  ;  discerns  a  fire 
at  Stockholm  from  Gottenburg,  ii, 
61  ;  helps  Madame  Marteviile  to  find 
a  lost  receipt,  63;  delivers  to  the 
Queen  of  Sweden  a  message  from 
her  deceased  brother,  65  ;  defines  to 
her  the  limit  of  his  spiritual  ac- 
quaintance, 67  ;  Kant's  jealousy  of 
Swedenborg,  and  certification  of  his 
clairvoyance,  68  ;  foretells  a  man's 
death  on  the  morrow,  75 ;  neglects 
church  going,  76 ;  reticence  on 
spiritual  matters,  77 ;  a  flowery 
preacher,  78;  plain  dealing  with 
Bishop  Hallenius,  78 ;  conduct  in 
the  Swedish  Diet,  79  ;  Rules  of  Life, 
80  ;  supports  Hopken,  and  glorifies 
Sweden,  80  ;  denounces  Popery  and  ' 
despotism,  81  ;  advocates  alliance  j 
with  France  in  preference  to  Eng- 
land, 83 ;  opinions  on  the  Currency, 
83;  Hopken' s  estimate  of  his  sup- 
porter, 84 ;  contributes  a  paper  on 
Inlaying  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences, 
86 ;  announces  in  Amsterdam  the  ! 
murder  of  Peter  III.,  87 ;  visited  by 
a  Merchant  of  Elberfield,  91 ;  a  large 
literary  scheme  '  by  command  of  the 
Lord,'  100;  which  he  modifies,  101  ; 
meets  and  converts  Dr.  Beyer,  300  ; 
interview  with  his  London  book- 
seller, 301 ;  publication  of  Apocalypse 
Bevealed,  308;  advises  Beyer  to  read 
his  Spiritual  Stories,  and  expects 
they  will  cause  a  convulsion  among 
the  English  Bishops,  324  ;  competes  j 
for  the  English  reward  for  finding  | 
longitude  at  sea,  327  ;  reminiscences 
by  Springer  and  Bergstrom,  329 ; 
his  voyages,  330 ;  advises  Beyer  to 
caution  in  the  publication  of  the 
new  views,  331 ;  correspondence  with 


Oetinger,  333  ;  his  house  and  garden 
at  Stockholm,  336  ;  habits  at  home, 
338-343 ;  his  Bibles,  343  ;  visit  and 
reminiscences  of  Collin,  344 ;  a 
student's  visit  and  story,  346  ;  rela- 
tion to  Linnaeus,  351 ;  publishes 
Conjugial  Love,  and  puts  his  name 
on  the  title-page,  353 ;  Cuno,  an 
Amsterdam  gossip,  records  many  de- 
tails concerning  him,  420-426.  444, 
446,  510;  publishes  Brief  Exposition, 
426,  and  circulates  it  widely,  443 ;  a 
mysterious  trip  to  Paris,  446,  447, 
459  ;  Lavater  writes  to  him,  455 ; 
publishes  Intercourse  beticeen  Soul 
and  Body,  459;  Cookworthy  cm- 
verted,  publishes  Doctrine  of  Life  in 
English,  479 ;  Dr.  Messiter's  service, 
479 ;  Rev.  Thomas  Hartley,  convert 
and  translator,  480;  Hartley  receives 
a  bit  of  autobiography,  u  481 ;  Con- 
jugial Love  arrested  in  Sweden,  487, 
495  ;  treachery  of  Bishop  Filenius, 
487  ;  is  attacked  in  Gottenburg 
Consistory,  444,  488  ;  complained  of . 
in  the  Diet,  489 ;  appeals  to  the 
King,  491 ;  plot  to  confine  him  as  a 
lunatic,  495  ;  sends  the  Academy  of 
Sciences  a  paper  on  the  symbolism 
of  the  Horse  and  offers  to  interpret 
Egyptian  hieroglyphics,  497  ;  writes 
to  Beyer  about  a  boy  who  has 
visions  and  prescribes  remedies, 
498 ;  and  about  his  wife's  death, 
499 ;  bids  Robsahm  farewell,  501  ; 
visits  General  Tuxen,  503 ;  a  curious 
conceit  about  the  year  of  his  birth, 
504  ;  interview  with  Klopstock, 
508 ;  a  fiery  leaf  against  Ernesti, 
516,  and  Ekebom,  517;  corresponds 
with  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Darm- 
stadt, 518  ;  a  lost  German  Prince, 
521 ;  classification  of  his  readers, 
522 ;   summary  of  his  revelation, 


59S 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


530 ;  commences  books  never  to  be 
finished,  571  ;  a  mysterious  in- 
ventory, 573 ;  his  several  London 
lodgings.  574;  Shearsmith's  house 
arid  habits  there.  574-578  :  visit-  <1 
by  Ferelios,  579,  by  Okely,  582,  by 
Hartley  and  Cookworthy,  583.  by 
Hartley  and  Messiter,  584  ;  stricken 
with  apoplexy,  583  ;  asserts  his 
veracity,  5S4  :  wishes  to  see  Wesley. 
584,  foretells  the  day  of  his  own 
death,  585;  visited  by  Springer,  585; 
loses  his  spiritual  sight  for  a  time, 
586 ;  wishes  to  see  Hartley,  586  ; 
Bergstrom's  visit,  587  ;  receives  the 
Holy  Supper  from  Ferelius,  587  ; 
happy  death,  588 ;  funeral,  588 ; 
Sandel's  Eulogium,  589 ;  violation 
of  his  tomb,  589 ;  epitaph,  590 ; 
visitors  to  his  lodging,  591 ;  slightly 
esteemed  in  Sweden,  647 ;  medal 
struck  in  his  honour  by  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Sciences,  Stockholm, 
648. 

Health. — A  strong  constitution,  ii. 
338 ;  activity  in  old  age,  423  ;  troubled 
with  stone,  ii,  76;  disease  threatens 
his  life,  313  ;  pains  induced  by  Evil 
Spirits,  338-339;  stricken  with 
apoplexy,  583.  His  peculiar  respira- 
tion, i,  17,  263. 

Food. — He  eats  too  much,  i,  216;  his 
first  command  from  Heaven,  '  Eat 
not  so  much,'  243,  244;  ii,  577; 
certain  Angels  pleased  that  he  should 
take  butter,  and  certain  milk,  i,  296; 
Sirens  try  to  appropriate  his  delight 
in  almond  cakes,  pears,  and  pigeons, 
304;  food  rightly  used  in  Jupiter, 
513  ;  at  home,  his  dinner  bread  and 
milk  ;  drank  sweet  coffee  day  and 
night,  ii,  338;  in  Amsterdam,  choc« 
olate  and  biscuit  his  usual  dinner, 
425:  in  London,  dined  on  bread  and 


milk,  583  :  ate  cakes  with  very  sweet 

tea  or  coffee,  576  :  drank  wine  only 
when  in  company,  330,  338,  425, 
576  ;  practically  a  vegetarian.  576  n ; 
his  opinion  of  the  influence  of  food 
on  the  mind,  577.  which  compare 
with  that  on  respiration,  ii.  232; 
took  snuff  profusely.  578. 

iJres*. — At  home,  ii,  342  ;  in  Amster- 
dam. 422 :  in  London,  330,  578 ; 
sword  and  canes,  578. 

Conversation. — Talked  slowly  and  im- 
pressively, ii,  343  ;  stuttered,  i.  226, 
ii,  421 :  spoke  French  and  German, 
but  neither  readily,  421  ;  could  not 
speak  Dutch.  424 ;  spoke  English 
badly,  301  ,.575.  583;  conversed  with 
Okely  in  German,  583. 

Delight  in  Children. — Boys  fighting 
excite  his  own  pugnacity,  i.  303 ; 
lets  Angels  witness  I  fight  through 
his  eyes,  396;  studies  boys  and  girls 
at  play,  ii,  365;  kindness  to  little 
folks  in  Amsterdam.  422.  and  in 
London,  575;  Hart's  girl,  5"?1  ; 
shews  Sara  Greta  an  Angel,  605. 
^  Relations  vcith  Women. — Charles  XII. 
suggests  that  he  marry  Emerentia 
Polhem.  who  declines,  i,  52  ;  urged 
to  marry  by  Jonas  Unge,  74  ;  keeps 
a  Mistress  instead  75,  122;  has  a 
Mistress  in  Italy,  121  ;  ii.  506; 
Women  his  strongest  passion,  20<>; 
illustrations  thereof,  211,  216,  219, 
235,  238;  Sara  Hesselia  incites  him 
to  suicide,  309;  refuses  to  see 
Women  alone,  ii,  75,  500 ;  sanctions 
Fornication  and  Concubinage.  412- 
419 ;  a  bride,  the  Countess  Gyllen- 
borg.  awaits  him  in  the  Spiritual 
World,  500. 

Jloney  Matters.  —  Inherits  a  com- 
petency, i,  113,  207;  his  salary  as 
Assessor,  note  iii,  app. :  prudent 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


599 


habitually,  182;  retires  from  office 
on  full  pay,  249  ;  finds  worldly  cares 
shut  Heaven,  291  ;  dedicates  pro- 
ceeds from  Arcana  Cartestia  to  Pro- 
pagation of  Gospel,  316;  his  opinion 
about  Rich  and  Poor,  482-485;  at 
once  liberal  and  frugal,  ii,  344; 
gives  nothing  to  Beggars,  and  why, 

i,  292;  ii,  344;  his  credit  in  Am- 
sterdam, ii,  422*;  lets  Shearsmith  pay 
himself,  575 ;  a  bill  for  £400  in  his 
pocket-book  at  death,  588. 

Opening  of  Spiritual  Intercourse. — 
Dawn  of  Heavenly  Light,  i,  186; 
Dreams,  Flames,  Voices,  Touches, 
195;  commanded  to  write,  and  sees 
a  Golden  Key,  196;  his  Book  of 
Dreams,  196-219,  233-242;  Brock  - 
mer's  Narrative,  220-225  ;  a  change 
certainly  came  over  him  about  1745, 

ii,  662 ;  he  could  not  have  invented 
the  Spiritual  World,  663. 

Intercourse  with  Spirits. — He  is  directed 
by  an  Angel  whilst  writing,  i,  292 ; 
Spirits  often  guide  his  hand,  293  ; 
and  one  claims  his  work,  300;  in- 
cited by  Spirits  to  steal  from  shops, 
293;  others  affect  his  palate,  296; 
others  set  him  longing  for  white 
raiment,  298  ;  he  discovers  their 
association  with  places,  garments, 
and  furniture,  301 ;  Evil  Spirits  try 
to  throw  him  under  carriage  wheels, 
303 ;  Sirens  seek  to  enjoy  his  food, 
304;  Spirits  possess  him  utteily, 
304 ;  Angels  move  him  at  pleasure, 
ii,  293 ;  he  learns  to  refer  his  good- 
ness to  God  and  his  evil  to  Hell,  i, 
307,  ii,  290,  292  ;  Paul  excites  in  him 
adulterous  thoughts,  i,  392 ;  Spirits 
about  him  contradict  the  preacher 
when  in  church,  ii,  581. 

Lets  Polhem  witness  his  own  funeral 
through  his  eyes,  i,  393;  allows 


Angels  to  see  the  world  in  the  same 
way,  395,  396 ;  also  Spirits  of  Jupiter, 
513 ;  in  turn  he  sees  Planets  and 
their  inhabitants,  506,  531  ;  lets  the 
Danish  Royal  Family  enjoy  a  party 
at  General  Tuxen's  through  his  eyes, 
ii,  506. 

His  terrible  and  indescribable  tempta- 
tions, i,  288,  ii,  579;  appearance 
when  under  temptation,  ii,  341-42, 
578. 

Suffers  physically  from  Spirits,  i,  290 ; 
hosts  try  to  suffocate  him,  293  ;  Paul 
and  Hypocrites  induce  toothachs  for 
several  days,  393,  ii,  338 ;  aspect  of 
Hypocrites,  i,  308 ;  other  sufferings, 
ii,  339. 

Asserts  that  no  Angel  or  Spirit  dare 
instruct  him  concerning  the  Word 
or  the  Doctrine  of  the  New  Church  : 
he  receives  all  from  the  Lord  alone, 
ii,  255,  566  ;  commanded  by  a  voice 
from  Heaven  to  write  an  exposition 
of  Apocalypse,  15,  309  ;  professed  to 
write  to  dictation,  510. 

Has  the  clearest  perception  for  many 
years,  that  he  neither  wills  nor  thinks 
anything  from  himself,  ii,  239-240. 

In  what  way  he  saw  Angels,  Spirits, 
and  Devils,  i,  257-263 ;  how  he  ap- 
peared and  disappeared  in  the  Spi- 
ritual World,  460  ;  his  acquaintance 
with  Familiar  Spirits,  ii,  512-513; 
often  conversed  for  days  with  the 
Spirits  of  Men  in  the  Body,  526. 

Divine  Appearances. — The  Lord  ap- 
pears to  him  at  Delft,  i,  204;  He 
again  appears,  240 ;  other  accounts 
of  His  first  appearance,  243;  Sweden- 
borg's  own  statements,  250-254; 
how  the  Lord  was  seen  by  him,  281  ; 
he  sees  Him  as  the  Sun,  and  out  of 
the  Sun,  i,  423,  ii,  207,  208;  sees 
Him  as  Light,  i,  428 ;  has  much 


600 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


talk  with  Angels  about  the  Spiritual 
Sun,  ii,  216. 

The  Lord's  Second  Advent. — How 
effected  by  Swedenborg,  i,  285,  ii,  20, 
128,  566,  674;  announces  the  passage 
of  the  Last  Judgement,  ii,  2  ;  saw  it 
executed  when  wide  awake,  565 ; 
Rome  judged,  ii,  13  ;  Protestantism 
judged,  191  ;  delivers  the  code  of 
doctrine  for  the  New  Church,  ii,  20; 
the  twelve  Apostles  sent  to  preach  it 
in  the  Spiritual  World,  568. 

Characters  seen  in  the  Spiritual  Woi-ld. 
— Spiritual  information  bounded  by 
earthly  experience,  i,  458-459,  519; 
he  knows  nothing  of  Uranus  or 
Neptune,  518;  states  his  case  to  the 
Queen  of  Sweden,  ii,  67  ;  his  por- 
traits reflect  his  prejudices,  664  ;  the 
Spiritual  World  the  realm  of  illusions, 


i,  168,  197,  532  ;  ii,  663. 

Adolphus  Frederick        ...  ii,  511 
Agnes,  St.       ...       ...  455 

Apostles,  the  twelve       547,  568 

Aristotle    475 

Athanasius,  St   115 

Augustine,  St   484 

Augustus   349 

Brahe,  Count  ...       ...       i,  403 

Benedict  XIV  ii,  450 

Calvin   440 

Charles  XI.   i,  399 

Charles  XII   397 

Christian  VI   239 

Christina    402 

Cicero        ...       ...       ...  ii,  350 

Clement  XII   450,  454 

David   i,  389 

De  la  Gardie   ii,  89 

Elector  of  Saxony   438 

Elizabeth  of  Russia  ...  88 

Frederick  V   507 

Folkes,  Martin  ...  225 
Fox,  George   i,  388 


Genevieve,  St... . 

ii,  455 

George  II  

...  301 

Gustavus  Adolphus 

i,  401 

Gustavus  Vasa 

...  401 

Gyllenborg,  Countess...      ii,  500 

John,  St.  ... 

...  334 

Leeuwenhoek  ... 

96 

Leibnitz 

475 

Louis  XIV. 

449 

Loyola       ...   '  ... 

...  453 

Luther  

437 

Mahomet  

...  486 

Mary 

110 

Melancthon 

...  438 

•Moses  

i,  388,  ii,  334 

Newton,  Sir  Isaac... 

...   ii,  58 

Paul,  St. 

i,  391 

Penn,  William 

...  388 

Peter,  St. 

ii,  579 

Peter  I  

91 

Peter  III. 

87 

Polhern 

...  i,  393 

Polbem,  Emerentia 

ii,  500 

Sixtus  V  

...  452 

Sloane,  Sir  Hans 

225 

Stanislaus  ... 

424,  519 

Svedberg.  Eliezer 

i,  216 

Svedberg,  Jesper 

205,  211,  402 

Ulrika  Eleonora 

400 

Virgil   

...  ii,  346 

Wolf   

475 

Xavier   

...  453 

Zinzendorf 

i,  3S4 

Swedenborg,  Jesper  (youngest  brother 
of  Emanuel),  returns  from  sea,  and 
receives  a  letter  of  advice  from  his 
father,  i,  73  ;  marries  and  perpetu- 
ates the  family,  74. 

Swedenborg  Association,  its  formation 
and  failure,  i,  176-177. 

Sv:edenborg' s  Dreams  {Swedenborg1  s 
Drommar,  1744)  discovered  and 
edited  by  Klemming,  i,  197;  cita- 
tions from,  198-219,  233-241. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


601 


Swedenborg  Society,  ii,  633-634. 

Swedenborgians,  English,  Lackington 
on,  ii,  625;  attacked  by  Keid,  626; 
history  of  their  Conferences,  627  ; 
their  statistics,  628  ;  their  hierarchy, 
630  ;  their  periodicals,  631 ;  attitude 
towards  Established  Church,  631  ; 
tracts,  633 ;  Swedenborg' s  works,  633 ; 
educational  schemes,  634 ;  rise  of 
the  body,  635  ;  increase  ceased,  636 ; 
character  of  the  average  Sweden- 
borgian,  637,  and  of  their  Societies, 
638  ;  their  preachers,  639 ;  divisions 
and  controversies,  639,642 ;  Clissold's 
delusive  invitation,  643  ;  their  treat- 
ment of  Spiritualism,  644-646 ; 
neither  philosophers  nor  saints,  657  ; 
attribute  infallibility  to  Swedenborg, 
657  ;  their  esoteric  and  exoteric  doc- 
trine, 658 ;  Swedenborg  not  to  be 
saddled  withHindmarsh,  660 ;  Clowes 
versus  Hindmarsh,  661. 

Swedenborgians,  in  France,  ii,  646 ;  in 
Germany  and  Sweden,  647 ;  in  the 
United  States,  648 ;  characteristics 
of  American  Swedenborgianism, 
649-656. 

Swedes,  Swedenborg's  opinion  of,  ii, 
496. 

Swedish  Bible,  revision  of,  i,  11,  54. 
Swedish  Church,  its  deadness,  i,  71, 
73,  188. 

Swedish  Dictionary,  prepared  by 
Bishop  Svedberg,  i,  28. 

Swedish  Grammar,  i,  5 ;  Bishop  Sved- 
berg prepares  the  first,  i,  28. 

Swedish  Psalter,  revised  by  Bishop 
Svedberg,  and  suppressed,  i,  12. 

Swift,  his  loneliness,  ii,  671. 

Synthesis  or  Deduction  pleasant  and 
easy,  but  the  source  of  every  error, 
i,  152-153. 

Tafel,  Dr.,  editor  of  Swedenborg's 


Adversaria,  i,  249,  and  Spiritual 
Diary,  289;  his  supplement  to  Life  of 
Kant,  ii,  73,  75  n. ;  on  Swendenborg's 
Rules  of  Life,  80  n. ;  his  services 
and  character,  647 . 

Tartars,  the  Ancient  Word  preserved 
among  the,  i,  340,  ii,  53,  138. 

Temple,  Dr.,  on  patriotism,  ii,  158  n. 

Temptation,  described,  ii,  35 ;  unknown 
at  this  day,  559. 

Tennyson,  trust  in  the  victory  of 
Divine  Love,  ii,  296 ;  marriage  in 
Heaven,  359 ;  relation  of  Man  and 
Woman,  363;  his  enamelled  Muse, 
655. 

Thackeray,  i,  468;  on  George  II.,  ii, 

307  ;  on  rival  oyster  shops,  645 ;  on 

the  solitude  of  genius,  671. 
Theft,   spiritually,    is  the  claim  of 

merit,  i,  425. 
Theology,  may  be  learnt  as  any  other 

science,  ii,  175. 
Theosophical  Society,  ii,  599,  600. 
Thiebault,  ii,  65. 

Thomas,  St.,  quality  of  his  faith,  ii, 
182. 

Time,  in  Heaven,  i,  429 ;  to  God  the 

Future  is  present,  and  the  Present 

eternal,  ii,  297. 
Time  and  Space,  finite — began  with 

Creation  and  excluded  from  God,  ii, 

206,  532-533. 
Times,  The,  ii,  55. 

Tin  Plate,  pamphlet  on,  by  Sweden- 
borg, i,  53. 

Tooth-ache,  induced  by  hypocrites,  i, 
393,  ii,  338. 

Touch,  the  sense  peculiar  to  Conjugal 
Love,  ii,  379. 

Tradesman,  the,  who  acts  from  Charity, 
ii,  161. 

Trent,  Council  of,  ii,  427,  429. 
Trinity,  Doctrine  of,  its  value  and 
meaning,  ii,  42,  114,  435,  545,  637  n. ; 

2  E 


602 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


as  held  throughout  Christendom  is 
the  worship  of  three  gods,  431 ; 
three  persons  unknown  in  the 
Apostolic  Church,  544;  the  trinity 
in  God  repeated  in  each  item  of 
Creation,  ii,  212,  215. 

Trojan  Horse,  ii,  52. 

True  Christian  Religion  ( Vera  Chris- 
tiana Heligio),  written,  ii,  510,  521  ; 
reviewed  523-573  ;  its  profuse 
imagery,  569. 

Truth,  its  own  evidence,  i,  271  ;  the 
source  of  every  Angel's  strength, 
439 ;  its  universal  relations,  ii,  22  ; 
the  substance  of  conscience,  31 ;  its 
advocacy  from  self-love,  i,  445,  ii, 
29,  2G6,  564. 

Tucker,  Dr.,  translator  of  Swedenborg, 
ii,  202,  597. 

Tulk,  Charles  Augustus,  ii,  500  n.  ; 
attempts  to  systematize  Swedenborg, 
616;  condemned  by  Noble,  642  ;  his 
Life  by  Miss  ML  C.  Hume,  617. 

Tulk,  John  Augustus,  ii,  599,  616. 

Tuxen,  General,  i,  121,  289  n. ;  ii,  88; 
Swedenborg  visits  him  at  Elsinore, 
and  confesses  concerning  the  year  of 
his  birth  and  his  love  affairs,  ii,  503- 
506  ;  Tuxen's  conversion,  508. 

Uolixess  of  Devils,  i,  488  ;  not  ugly  to 
each  other,  492 ;  difference  between 
Satans  and  Devils,  497. 

LTrika,  Eleonora,  i,  22 ;  promotes 
Jonas  Unge,  27 ;  succeeds  to  the 
Swedish  crown  and  ennobles  the 
Svedberg  family,  58 ;  Bishop  Sved- 
berg  thinks  her  a  great  hvpocrite, 
59;  her  state  and  marriage  after 
death,  400 ;  visits  Elizabeth  of 
Kussia,  ii,  90. 

Underbill,  Dr.,  ii,  73  n. 

Understanding  and  Will,  ii,  23,  231, 
234 ;   the  Understanding  the  resi- 


dence of  Divine  Wisdom,  226;  an 

'  organic  form  of  the  purest  sub- 
stances, 227 ;  represented  by  the 
Lungs,   228;   represented    by  the 

J  Horse,  ii,  50;  controlled  by  the 
Will,  178;  Angels  will  not  allow  its 
subjection  to  faith.  180. 

|  Unge,  Jonas,  Swedenborg' s  brother-in- 

i      law,  i,  27 ;   his  malevolence,   62 ; 

j      urges  Swedenborg  to  marry,  74. 

j  Unitarians,  worship  the  Creator  alone, 
ii,  637  n. ;  affinity   between  them 

:      and  Swedenborgians,  637. 

j  United  States,  Swedenborgians  in,  ii, 

j  648-649. 

!  Universe  is  one:  Heaven,  Man,  and 
Hell  knit  together,  i,  381,  4o9. 
Unser  Voter  or  Vater  Unser  controversy, 
i,  5. 

Uranus,  absurdly  supposed  to  be  known 

to  Swedenborg,  i,  160  n. ;  518. 
Uses,  the  Lord's  Kingdom  consists  of, 

i,  472 ;  He  effects  all  by  Angels, 
!      474  ;  Evil  uses  enumerated,  ii,  222. 

Vacuum,  Newton  and  Swedenborg  on, 

ii,  58. 

Vanity  Fair,  i,  468. 
Varignon,  i,  33. 
!  Vegetable   Kingdom,  created   by  the 
Sun,  i,    162;   Animals   bred  from 
Plants,  163. 
i  Venator,  corresponds  with  Swedenborg, 

ii,  518,  520. 
j  Venus,  described,  i,  509. 
!   Virgil,  said  to  have  visited  Swedenborg, 
i      ii,  348. 

Virginity,  is  to  Angels  as  a  cold  wind, 
ii,  361. 

Visions,  impotent  fur  regeneration,  ii, 
254. 

;   Voltaire,  i,  33,  380,  ii,  18,  426,  450, 
j      508 ;  on  Wolf,  i:  B0. 
Vortices,  i,  97. 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


603 


Wadstiiom,  C.  B.,  i,  231  ;  expelled 
from  the  Eastcheap  Jerusalem,  ii, 
603. 

Wahlin,  Dr.,  ii,  589. 

Wallerius,  ii,  345. 

Walton,  Christopher,  i,  321. 

Wars  of  Jehovah,  i,  339-340. 

Water,  derived  from  Air,  i,  90,  and 

Earth  from  Water,  92. 
Watts,  Dr.,  i,  31,  247. 
Wenngren,  ii,  493. 

Wesley,  John,  ii,  430,  582,  656,  669 ; 
publishes  Brockmer's  account  of 
Swedenborg,  i,  220  ;  then  invents  a 
tale  of  his  own,  228  ;  his  credulity 
and  carelessness  about  truth,  229 ; 
his  fiction  to  be  wholly  divided  from 
Brockmer's  facts,  229;  Wesley  on 
Zinzendorf,  385  n.;  Swedenborg  in- 
vites Wesley  to  visit  him,  ii,  584 ;  he 
defers  the  interview  though  warned 
of  his  death,  585  ;  sends  him  a  copy 
of  True  Christian  Beligion,  584  n. ; 
his  enthusiasm  in  Swedenborg' s 
favour,  and  subsequent  aversion,  593. 

West,  its  correspondence,  ii,  208. 

White,  corresponds  to  wisdom,  ii,  229. 

White  Horse  (De  Equo  Albo,  etc.), 
reviewed,  ii,  49-53. 

White,  J.  Blanco,  on  monastic  celibacy, 
ii,  372. 

Wilberforce,  ii,  430. 

Wicked,  can  be  useful  as  the  Good,  yea 
more  useful,  ii,  271,  276;  how  their 
passions  are  turned  to  service,  272  ; 
God  equally  with  them  and  the  Good  : 
He  is  their  life,  yet  not  the  cause  of 
their  evil,  286. 

Wilderspin,  Alex.,  expelled  from  the 
Eastcheap  Jerusalem,  ii,  603. 

Wilkinson,  Dr.  Garth,  ii,  349  n. ;  509, 
521  n.,  641;  translator  of  Sweden- 
borg, i,  177  ;  equalled  by  Emerson  j 
to  Bacon,  177. 


Wilkinson,  W.  M.,  visits  Swedenborg's 
house,  ii,  336. 

Will,  a  holy,  the  perennial  root  of 
Wisdom,  i,  445 ;  the  Will  governs  the 
Understanding,  ii,  178;  the  residence 
of  the  Divine  Love,  226  ;  an  organic 
form  from  the  purest  substances,  227; 
represented  by  the  Heart,  228  ; 
divided  into  two  regions — one  for 
Love  of  Self,  the  other  for  Love  of 
the  Lord,  240,  286,  288;  we  have  no 
consciousness  of  its  volitions  until 
manifested  in  thoughts  and  deeds, 
284. 

Will  and  Understanding,  constitute  the 
Mind,  ii,  23  ;  their  mutual  relations, 
231,  234  ;  are  organs  of  reception 
like  eyes  and  ears,  290 ;  exist  in 
separation  in  Man,  470. 

Wisdom,  of  the  Angels,  i,  440-445; 
God  is  Wisdom  itself,  ii,  197  ;  He  is 
Wisdom  in  Man,  209,  667. 

Wolcott,  ii,  592. 

Wolf,  Christian,  i,  40,  48  78 ;  Swe- 
denborg visits  him,  79 ;  persecuted 
by  the  King  and  admired  by  the 
Prince  of  Prussia,  80  ;  Voltaire  on 
Wolf,  80 ;  Swedenborg  compares  his 
philosophy  with  Wolfs,  81 ;  is  be- 
guiled by  Wolf  into  materialism, 
108;  studies  Wolf,  121;  adheres  to 
him,  128 ;  might  have  shared  his 
empire,  174;  prompted  by  him,  184; 
Wolf  after  death,  ii,  475. 

Woman,  as  her  Body  differs  from  Man's 
so  her  Mind  must,  ii,  364 ;  she  is  the 
Love  of  his  Understanding,  364,  374; 
characteristics  of  her  intelligence, 
364 ;  a  ring  of  love  round  Man's 
intellect,  366;  derived  from  Man, 
366,  368 ;  she  loves  to  be  ruled  by 
Man,  366-367  ;  she  initiates  nothing, 
368 ;  her  perfect  sympathy  with  and 
dependence  on  Man.  369  ;  love  is 


604 


INDEX  TO  BOTH  VOLUMES. 


inspired  into  Man  by  her,  374 ; 
Sexual  and  Conjugal  Love  begin  in 
her — proved  by  experiment,  375  ; 
also  Love  of  Infants,  402. 

Woodford,  Swedenborgian  boarding- 
school  at,  ii,  634. 

Worcester,  Thomas,  ii,  653  n. 

Word,  the,  in  Heaven,  i,  463;  fireworks 
made  out  of  texts,  and  Angels  shine 
when  they  rub  themselves  with  it, 
464 ;  how  written  in  Heaven,  465  ; 
books  which  compose  the  Word,  ii, 
52  ;  everything  to  the  extent  of  its 
being  a  word  of  God,  139,  212.  See 
Sacred  Scriptures. 

Word,  the  Ancient,  commenced  by 
Cain  and  reduced  to  doctrine  by 
Enoch,  i,  339  ;  preserved  to  this  day 
in  Tartary,  340,  ii,  53. 

Wrord,  Apostolic,  ii,  323  ;  difference 
between  it  and  the  Word,  325. 

World,  the,  will  never  end,  ii,  4. 

World  of  Spirits,  between  Heaven  and 
Hell,  i,  405  ;  character  there  reduced 
to  consistency,  406 ;  a  stomach 
where  the  Good  are  absorbed  into 
Heaven  and  the  Evil  rejected  to 
Hell,  406,  ii,  7 ;  so  like  Earth  that 
those  who  have  passed  through 
death  find  it  hard  to  believe  they 
have  made  any  change,  i,  407 ;  ex- 
perience of  a  novitiate  and  a  Jew, 
407  ;  sight-seeing,  and  dropping  dis- 
guises,408;  mode  of  judgement  with 
examples,  409-41 1 ;  none  punished 
for  deeds  done  on  earth,  411  ;  is  an 


undulating  valley  between  Heaven 
and  Hell  with  gates  and  ways  to 
each,  412,  419;  how  Spirits  find 
their  eternal  homes,  413 ;  Hells 
everywhere  beneath  the  World  of 
Spirits,  413 ;  is  it  not  Purgatory  ? 
414;  instruction  of  Gentiles  there, 
469  ;  no  one  now  remains  in  the 
World  of  Spirits  more  than  twenty 
years,  i,  405  ».,  ii,  7,  15. 

Worship,  is  not  a  personal  affection 
towards  the  Lord,  i,  425,  ii,  169; 
mode  of  external  worship  in  Heaven 
i,  446 ;  true  Worship  consists  in  a 
useful  life,  447,  or  in  Love  to  the 
Neighbour,  ii,  163;  consists  pri- 
marily in  Charity  and  secondarily 
in  Piety,  ii,  30 ;  its  external  signs, 
162;  the  Lord  loves  Worship  for 
Man's  sake,  168. 

Worship  and  Love  of  God  (De  Cuttu 
et  Amore  Dei),  announced  and  when 
written,  i,  109;  reviewed,  157-173; 
unnoticed,  243  ;  its  argument  aban- 
doned, 327  ;  ii,  216,  665. 

Wretman,  ii,  420.  424. 

Wright,  Thomas,  ii,  600. 

Wrightson,  Rev.,  Henry,  ii,  501  n. 

Xavier.  ii,  454. 

"Your  Life,"  ii,  591  n. 

Zinzexdorf,  opinions  and  conduct  after 
death,  i,  384. 


I  HINTED  BY  THOMAS  SCOTT.  WARWICK  COT'RT,  HOLBOUN . 


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